Babulal Marandi writes to Hemant Soren demanding a judicial probe into the alleged scam in JSDMS

Leader of the Opposition in Jharkhand Assembly Babulal Marandi on Friday (July 17, 2026) wrote to the Chief Minister Hemant Soren for conducting a judicial inquiry alleging the use of forged bank guarantees, illegal payments to blacklisted companies, and a financial scam worth crores of rupees in the Jharkhand Skill Development Mission Society (JSDMS).He urged the CM to register an FIR against the people responsible.

Mr. Marandi claimed that available documents on JSDMS raise serious questions about financial discipline, administrative accountability, and the government’s commitment to combating corruption in the state.

“Available records indicate that companies previously blacklisted for submitting fake bank guarantees, which violated rules, were removed from the blacklist; then these companies were paid crores of rupees and blacklisted again. This entire episode represents a serious case of premeditated financial irregularity and corruption,”Mr. Marandi said in the letter.

He added that he has enclosed the relevant documents for the Chief Minister’s perusal.

He further wrote that, according to the documents, on August 8, 2024, the then Mission Director blacklisted six companies until August 7, 2026, after finding them 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.” Subsequently, the department disbursed approximately ₹55 crore to these companies, Mr. Marandi said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader asserted that these same companies were blacklisted again in August 2025, following the arrest of the then Excise Secretary, Vinay Choubey, in connection with the fake bank guarantee case. He pointed out that this sequence of events raises several serious questions.

Mr. Marandi asked on whose orders and under which rule were these companies removed from the blacklist when they had been found guilty of submitting fake bank guarantees, and which official, and at what level, authorised the payment of approximately ₹55 crore?

“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 government work and release payments to these same companies starting August 2026, once the blacklisting period expires?”Mr. Marandi asked in the letter.

He further wrote that the entire matter appears not merely to be a case of administrative negligence but, prima facie, one involving the misappropriation of public funds, abuse of office, and criminal conspiracy. Therefore, an impartial and time-bound investigation is essential, he added.

Mr. Marandi demanded that criminal proceedings, including the immediate FIR, should be lodged against the then secretary and the current secretary of the Labour Department, along with the concerned officials and other individuals.

He also demanded that a special audit of all financial and administrative decisions taken by the JSDMS from the year 2023-24 to the present should be conducted by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India or an independent agency. Mr. Marandi said that ₹55 crore should be recovered from blacklisted companies if any wrongdoing is established.

Mr. Marandi also demanded an immediate ban on awarding any new work orders, making payments, or granting government contracts to the concerned companies until the investigation is concluded. He also said that a special investigation by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) should be conducted.