ACB arrests Vinay Kumar Singh in Jharkhand Forest Land Scam

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has arrested Vinay Kumar Singh, a resident of Ashok Nagar, Ranchi, in connection with a 2013 forest land scam.

Singh is allegedly accused of colluding with jailed IAS officer Vinay Kumar Chaubey and other government officials to illegally acquire forest land in Hazaribagh.

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Singh, son of the late Sadhu Sharan Singh, was taken into custody following investigations under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Prevention of Corruption Act.

According to the ACB, the scam centers around five plots in Hazaribagh, allotted in 2013 by the Deputy Collector Land Reforms (DCLR). These allotments were subsequently cancelled after being identified as forest land under the Indian Forest Act, 1927, and the Forest Conservation Act, 1980. The plots, classified as manjura khas jungle-jhari, fall under a protected category where non-forest activities are prohibited without central government clearance.

Despite this, the land was allegedly transferred and irregularly regularised for personal gain. The ACB cited violations of a 1996 Supreme Court ruling (T.N. Godavarman vs. Union of India), emphasized that no non-forest activity is permissible on such land without prior government clearance, and uncovered forged documents during a review of official files.

The ACB said Singh colluded with officials to secure illegal ownership and control of the land. The irregularities came to light during a detailed scrutiny of official records, which showed that the cancelled allotments had been wrongly reinstated.

Singh has been booked under IPC Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 420 (cheating), 467, 468, 471 (forgery-related offences), and relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Authorities stated that he was both the purchaser and beneficiary of the land, and his arrest could uncover further dimensions of the extensive land scam. He was produced before the court following his arrest.