Jharkhand Opposition Leader Demands Judicial Probe into ₹55 Crore JSDMS Scam Allegations

Leader of the Opposition in the Jharkhand Assembly, Babulal Marandi, has written to Chief Minister Hemant Soren demanding a judicial inquiry into allegations of a large-scale financial scam in the Jharkhand Skill Development Mission Society (JSDMS). In his letter dated July 17, 2026, Mr. Marandi cited evidence of forged bank guarantees, illegal payments to blacklisted companies, and misappropriation of public funds amounting to approximately ₹55 crore.

Mr. Marandi, a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), urged the Chief Minister to register a First Information Report (FIR) against those responsible and to initiate a time-bound investigation. He claimed that available documents reveal serious irregularities in financial discipline and administrative accountability within the state government.

According to the letter, on August 8, 2024, the then Mission Director of JSDMS blacklisted six companies until August 7, 2026, after they were found guilty of submitting fake bank guarantees. However, on October 14, 2024, the current Mission Director, Shailendra Lal, ordered their removal from the blacklist and authorised payments, citing 'public interest'. The department subsequently disbursed around ₹55 crore to these companies.

Mr. Marandi further stated that these same companies were blacklisted again in August 2025, following the arrest of former Excise Secretary Vinay Choubey in connection with the fake bank guarantee case. He questioned the sequence of events, asking on whose orders and under which rules the companies were removed from the blacklist despite being found guilty. He also demanded to know which official authorised the payment of ₹55 crore and why no action has been taken against the then and current secretaries of the Labour Department, even though criminal action was initiated against a departmental secretary in a related case.

The BJP leader raised several pointed questions: 'If criminal action can be taken against a departmental secretary in the fake bank guarantee case, why has no action been taken so far against the then and current secretaries of the Labour Department? Were the rules disregarded in this entire episode due to influential political or administrative patronage? Is the government preparing to award work and release payments to these same companies starting August 2026, once the blacklisting period expires?'

Mr. Marandi asserted that the matter appears to be not merely administrative negligence but prima facie a case of misappropriation of public funds, abuse of office, and criminal conspiracy. He demanded an impartial and time-bound investigation, including the lodging of an FIR against the concerned officials. He also called for a special audit of all financial and administrative decisions taken by JSDMS from 2023-24 to the present by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India or an independent agency, and the recovery of ₹55 crore from the blacklisted companies if wrongdoing is established.

Additionally, Mr. Marandi demanded an immediate ban on awarding new work orders, making payments, or granting government contracts to the involved companies until the investigation is completed. He also recommended a special investigation by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).