Patna High Court questions ED, SVU in multi-crore Bihar tender scam

The Patna High Court questioned the ED and SVU over inaction against officials in a multi-crore tender scam. Its observations raised concerns about selective prosecution while alleged principal actors remain beyond scrutiny.

In Short

• Rishu Shree remains in judicial custody following his May 27 arrest
• An earlier report alleged foreign trips were funded for two IAS officers
• Investigators linked his firms to contracts across several Bihar government departments

The Patna High Court has questioned the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Bihar's Special Vigilance Unit (SVU) over their alleged failure to act against several senior officials linked to a multi-crore tender scam, news agency Press Trust of India reported.

The court said the authorities appeared to be trying to "save some and implicate few". It also observed that contractor Rishu Shree, who is in custody, appeared to be a "pawn" rather than the kingpin of the alleged money-laundering operation, while the principal actors remained "behind the curtains".

Justice Satyavrat Verma made the observations in an order passed on October 15 while hearing a case in which Shree is the petitioner and the ED's Patna Zone is the respondent.

The SVU filed a charge sheet against seven people, including an IAS officer, in June as part of its investigation into the alleged tender scam. The ED had investigated allegations of corruption in government tenders.

The names of several engineers and officials surfaced during the ED investigation. Based on information and evidence shared by the ED, the SVU began separate investigations by registering first information reports.

Shree's firms work as contractors and subcontractors for several Bihar government departments, including Water Resources, Health, Public Health Engineering, Urban Development, Education, Building Construction and Rural Works. Officials told PTI that he was accused of having links with government officials to secure tenders for illegal personal gains.

The SVU arrested Shree on May 27 in connection with the alleged tender manipulation and money-laundering case. He remains in judicial custody.

An earlier ED report alleged that Shree funded foreign trips and other expenses of two IAS officers and their family members in return for government contracts, officials told PTI.

The court noted that the ED had shared information under Section 66 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, naming six senior government officials. However, the SVU registered a case against only three of them. It also asked why the ED had not summoned several other officials despite having information about their alleged involvement since February 2025.

"The court gets an impression that the authorities are trying to save some and implicate few when the law is same for everyone," the order said.

The court described the ED's response to its questions as "evasive" and raised doubts about the progress of the investigation. It questioned "whether the alleged offence could have been committed by the petitioner alone in connivance with private players".

The court directed Shree to add the SVU, through its additional director general, as a respondent. It asked the agency to file a counter-affidavit explaining why the officials named by the ED had not been made accused and what its investigation had found about their alleged roles.

The case will be heard again at 3 pm on November 27, when the SVU is expected to respond to the court's questions about its action against the officials named in the ED's information.

- Ends