Neutral Citation No. ( 2025:JHHC:19908 ) IN THE HIGH COURT OF JHARKHAND AT RANCHI B.A. No. 612 of 2025 --------- Priya Ranjan Sahay, S/o Late Girish Nandan Sahay, R/o Bank Colony, P.O. & P.S.- Kokar, District- Ranchi ... … Petitioner Versus Directorate of Enforcement, represented through its Assistant Director, Ranchi Zonal Office, Plot No. 1502/B, Airport Road, P.O.- Hinoo, P.S.- Doranda, District Ranchi, Jharkhand ... … Opposite Party --------- CORAM : HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE RONGON MUKHOPADHYAY --------- For the Petitioner : Mr. Jitendra S. Singh, Advocate For the Opp. Party-E.D.: Mr. A.K. Das, Advocate --------- Order No. 06/Dated 17th July, 2025 Heard Mr. Jitendra S. Singh, learned counsel for the petitioner and Mr. A.K. Das, learned retainer counsel for the Directorate of Enforcement. The petitioner is an accused in connection with ECIR Case No. 06 of 2023, arising out of ECIR/RNZO/25/2023 dated 26.06.2023 registered under Section 3 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (in short PMLA) punishable u/s 4 of PMLA Act, 2002. The prosecution case reveals that an ECIR bearing no. 25/2023 was registered on the basis of the FIR in connection with Ranchi Sadar P.S. Case No. 25/2023, in which, it has been alleged that on scrutiny of the voluminous property documents seized from the premises of Bhanu Pratap Prasad along with 17 original registers revealed fresh facts and evidences about illegal activities to acquire several other properties by a syndicate which comprise of Md. Saddam Hussain, Afshar Ali, Bhanu Pratap Prasad, Priya Ranjan Sahay, Bipin Singh and others. A copy of the fake deed no. 3985 of the year 1940 was seized from the possession of Md. Saddam Hussain during search conducted on 13.04.2023 and this deed Neutral Citation No. ( 2025:JHHC:19908 ) -2- related to 6.34 acres spread over several plots of Khata No. 234. During the scrutiny of diaries seized from the possession of Md. Saddam Hussain, it revealed that Antu Tirkey is involved in fraudulent sale/purchase of land under the said Khata No. 234. The scrutiny of diary has also revealed about huge cash dealings between Md. Saddam Hussain and the said Antu Tirkey in relation to land of Khata No. 234 and others. The accused persons namely, Md. Saddam Hussain, Afshar Ali, Bhanu Pratap Prasad, Priya Ranjan Sahay, Bipin Singh, Irshad Akhtar and others were alleged to be involved in the preparation of fake deed No. 3954 of the year 1974 and 2376 of 1940 in relation to the property measuring 4.83 acres at Mauza- Gari, District- Ranchi. The accused Bipin Singh and Priya Ranjan Sahay are involved in the forgeries with the Government records in association with Afshar Ali, Bhanu Pratap Prasad, Shekhar Kushwaha @ Mahto and others in tampering the original Register-II to acquire the said 4.83 acres of land. Md. Irshad Akhtar was instrumental in arranging blank sheets of original registers kept at Registrar of Assurances, Kolkata for preparation of fake deeds. In course of investigation, it has been revealed that Irshad Akhtar brought blank sheets from the original registers in which fake deeds were prepared in respect to 4.83 acres of property and the same were planted in the records through him. The said Md. Irshad Akhtar had also brought original volumes from Registrar of Assurances, Kolkata at Hotel Pearless Inn where the registers were tampered by Afshar Ali and Md. Saddam Hussain and after tampering information was given to Priya Ranjan Sahay over WhatsApp. It has been submitted by Mr. Jitendra S. Singh, learned counsel for the petitioner that in the schedule Neutral Citation No. ( 2025:JHHC:19908 ) -3- offence being Sadar P.S. Case No. 272/2023 the petitioner is not an accused. It has been submitted that there is no document to show that the property has been transferred in the name of the petitioner or any of his family members. There is also no material either tangible or intangible to show or infer acquisition, possession or ownership of the petitioner on the subject land. It has been submitted that the name of the petitioner has transpired in the supplementary prosecution complaint. There are 70 cited witnesses and a large number of documents to be exhibited and such facts would lead to delayed conclusion of trial. The petitioner is in custody since 16.04.2024 and several of the co-accused persons have been granted bail. Mr. A.K. Das, learned retainer counsel for the Directorate of Enforcement has submitted that the scrutiny of the Indian Bank A/c No. 6432982946 of the petitioner has revealed about cash deposits amounting to Rs. 15,18,500/- during the period 11.09.2019 to 11.07.2023. The petitioner has admitted about cash dealings in relation to his activities along with the other accused persons of acquiring properties on the basis of fake deeds and falsification of government records. The petitioner is directly involved in the preparation of two fake deed no. 3954 of the year 1974 in the name of one Samrendra Chandra Ghoshal and deed no. 2376 of the year 1940 for acquiring landed property measuring 4.83 acres at Mauza Gari, pertaining o Khata no. 53 having a value of Rs. 22,61,84,553/- and his involvement has also come to light with respect to entering the name of Samrendra Chandra Ghoshal in Register-II with the assistance of Bhanu Pratap Prasad. Neutral Citation No. ( 2025:JHHC:19908 ) -4- The role of the petitioner has been depicted in para 12 of the Supplementary Prosecution Complaint and the same reads as under: “The accused person Priya Ranjan Sahay is directly involved in the preparation of the above-stated two fake deeds no(s). 3954 of the year 1974 in the name of one Samrendra Chandra Ghoshal and another deed no. 2376 of the year 1940 for acquiring landed property admeasuring 4.83 acres at Mauza Gari, pertaining to Khata no. 53 at Ranchi having value of Rs. 22,61,84,553/- (Urban residential @ Rs. 4,68,291/- per decimal as per the revised Circle rate w.e.f. 01.08.2023.). The accused person Priya Ranjan Sahay is actually involved in entering the name of Samrendra Chandra Ghoshal in Panji II with the assistance of Bhanu Pratap Prasad. He is knowingly a party with Afshar Ali, Md. Saddam Hussain, Shekhar Kushwaha, Bipin Singh and Irshad Akhtar in the above-stated forgery. The said Priya Ranjan Sahay is also involved in the preparation of the deed no. 3985 of the year 1940 for a property of 6.34 acres out of which, plot no. 989 and 996 were in possession of Hemant Soren. The said deed was written by Md. Irshad along with two other fake deeds which were used by the said accused Priya Ranjan Sahay. Therefore, the accused is knowingly involved in the processes and activities connected with the preparation of fake property deeds to acquire landed properties which are proceeds of crime and hence, has committed the offence of money laundering as defined under section 3 of the PMLA, 2002 and is liable to be punished under section 4 of the PMLA, 2002.” The petitioner is said to have indulged in preparation of fake sale deeds to acquire proceeds of crime along with several co-accused persons including Hemant Soren supposedly the main accused who has been granted bail by this Court in B.A. No. 4892 of 2024 and affirmed up to the Hon’ble Supreme Court. Several other accused persons have been granted bail by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in SLP (Crl.) No. 6705/2025 (Md. Irshad versus Neutral Citation No. ( 2025:JHHC:19908 ) -5- Directorate of Enforcement), SLP (Crl.) No. 7638/2025 (Anand Tirkey @ Antu Tirkey versus Directorate of Enforcement), SLP (Crl.) No. 7710/2025 (Irshad Akhtar versus Directorate of Enforcement) and SLP (Crl.) No. 7593/2025 (Md. Afsar Ali @ Afshar Ali versus Directorate of Enforcement). The petitioner is in custody from 16.04.2024. In view of the aforesaid facts, the petitioner is directed to be released on bail on furnishing bail bond of Rs. 10,000/- (Rupees Ten Thousand only) with two sureties of the like amount each, to the satisfaction of learned AJC-I cum Spl. Judge, PMLA, Ranchi in connection with ECIR Case No. 06 of 2023, arising out of ECIR/RNZO/25/2023. (Rongon Mukhopadhyay, J.) A. Sanga/ -