In a major development, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has submitted a chargesheet to the special PMIA court in Uttarakhand, targeting key officials involved in the Corbett Tiger Reserve scam. Among the accused are former Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Kishan Chand, ex-DFO Akhilesh Tiwari, former rangers Buj Bihari Sharma and Mathura Singh. The officials have been held responsible for widespread environmental and financial violations, including massive illegal tree felling and unauthorized construction during the previous BJP government.
Assets Worth Over ₹33 Crore Seized
The ED revealed that properties worth ₹1.75 crore, held in the names of Sharma’s wife Rajeshlakshmi Sharma and Kishan Chand’s sons—Abhishek Kumar Singh and Yogendra Kumar Singh—have been provisionally attached. These include plots in Haridwar and Bijnor. Earlier, in December 2023, the ED had seized assets worth ₹31.8 crore in the Haridwar-Roorkee belt linked to illegal constructions such as schools, stone crushers, and commercial buildings.
CBI Already Filed Chargesheet in 2023
The investigation had initially been led by Uttarakhand Vigilance, which arrested several key accused. Following a High Court directive, the CBI took over the probe on October 11, 2023, and filed its own chargesheet. With the ED now stepping in with fresh legal action, legal trouble for the accused officials is expected to escalate further.
₹215 Crore Scam Tied to Illegal Tree Felling
The alleged scam revolves around the illegal felling of over 6,000 trees in the protected Corbett Tiger Reserve, and irregular construction projects worth over ₹215 crore. Probe agencies suspect deep-rooted collusion among forest officers and private players, with multiple attempts made to convert proceeds of the scam into legitimate assets by purchasing land in the names of relatives.