₹11 billion scam: Eight Deputy Commissioners of Bokaro could face legal scrutiny for a major scam. They could all be accused of misappropriating funds from the time of their inception. In this multi-billion dollar scam, it’s possible that these eight Deputy Commissioners will soon be in the headlines. The Jharkhand High Court has begun hearing the case into the DMFT fund scam in Bokaro since 2016. On October 13th, a petition seeking a CBI investigation into irregularities in the DMFT fund was heard before Jharkhand High Court Chief Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan and Justice Rajesh Shankar. The court has sought a response from the government regarding the ₹11 billion DMFT scam. The petitioner alleges that funds were withdrawn without any work being done. The court has issued a notice to the Jharkhand government, asking for clarification on the allegations of the scam and asking what action has been taken in this matter. During the ongoing hearing in the High Court, Rajkumar has filed an intervention petition in this regard. Advocate Abhay Kumar Mishra, representing the petitioner, told the court that the DMFT fund in Bokaro has been plundered. Citing information obtained through an RTI, Mishra stated that ₹11 billion has been plundered from this fund in Bokaro since 2016.
Work was awarded without tenders. Payments were made without completion. The applicant has demanded a CBI investigation into the matter. The court issued a notice to the government and ordered a rehearing of the case after four weeks. DMFT stands for District Mineral Foundation. It was established in 2015 under the Mines and Minerals Amendment Act, following the Modi government’s ruling at the center. Under this 2015 Act, state governments were empowered to establish trusts in their respective mining-affected districts, and the DMFT Fund was established based on this. Coal companies operating in this area contribute a government-determined amount to the trust. This fund is intended to be used for the welfare and development of the people in mining-affected areas. In Bokaro, especially the Bermo subdivision, the area is affected by mining. Therefore, a DMFT was formed here as well. The District Deputy Commissioner is the Chairman of this trust, and other members are members. According to the court case, the misuse of this fund began in 2016, and in just nine years, a fraud of ₹11 billion was committed. The High Court has now begun hearings on this matter.
Eight Deputy Commissioners have served in Bokaro since 2016, and Ajay Nath Jha is currently serving as the ninth. When the DMFT came into effect in the country, Rai Mahimapat Ray held the position of Deputy Commissioner of Bokaro. He was followed by Mrityunjay Barnwal, Shailesh Kumar Chaurasia, Kripananda Jha, Mukesh Kumar, Rajesh Kumar Singh, Kuldeep Chaudhary, and Vijaya Jadhav (see the list of their tenures below). The matter came to light during Vijaya Jadhav’s tenure and is now in court. It is possible that the misuse of this fund was prevented during the tenure of the current District Collector, Ajay Nath Jha, as the issue became a topic of discussion across the state through the media as soon as he took office. Ultimately, it remains to be seen what response the Jharkhand government gives in this matter. It’s certain that if an ₹11 billion scam is alleged to have occurred in Bokaro alone, it’s difficult to estimate the scale of this fund scam in the state (which is rich in mineral resources, and other districts are also not immune to this fund misuse). It also remains to be seen which of the eight collectors mentioned above played a role in its misuse from 2016 to 2025, and to whom will the court issue notices in this matter?
