Former minister Alamgir Alam walks out of jail on bail after two years in Ranchi on May 14, 2026. | Photo credit: ANI
Jharkhand Congress leader and former minister Alamgir Alam was released on bail from Birsa Munda Central Jail in Hotwar, Ranchi on Thursday (May 14, 2026) after the Supreme Court granted relief in a money laundering case. The Supreme Court released him on bail on Monday (May 11, 2026).
On May 15, 2024, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Mr. Alamin in a money laundering case. Prior to his arrest, the ED had arrested Mr Alam’s officer on special duty (OSD) Sanjiv Kumar Lal and his domestic help after they seized nearly ₹32.20 crore from a flat associated with them.
After his arrest, he was forced to resign from his ministerial post. In the 2024 assembly elections, the Congress party fielded his wife Nishat Alam as the “Mahagathbandhan” (Grand Alliance) candidate from Pakur Assembly constituency and she won the seat. A Jharkhand court had earlier rejected the bail pleas of Mr. Alam and his associate Sanjeev Lal, after which they approached the Supreme Court.
When he came out of jail, his supporters outside the jail shouted slogans in support of him. Talking to the media, Alam said that the support and cooperation extended to him by party leaders, workers and supporters during his difficult period never failed his morale. He declared himself innocent and expressed faith in the judiciary.
Leader of Opposition in Jharkhand Assembly Babulal Marandi condemned the Congress for celebrating his release.
“After receiving relief from the Supreme Court, he was given the opportunity to go out on bail today. No one should make the mistake of considering this an ‘honourable acquittal.’ This is only a temporary relief granted on the basis of age and illness with strict conditions – it is not a final verdict,” Mr Marandi said in a social media post on X.
He further said, “Surprisingly, his supporters are celebrating the bail as if some revolutionary had returned after a freedom war. Sweets are being distributed, firecrackers are bursting and fireworks are lighting up the sky. Has the charge of siphoning off crores of rupees in alleged black money, kickbacks and looting of the share worth celebrating to the poor now become?”
Mr Marandi added that the public must ask themselves questions: after all, how did a mountain of notes accumulate in a domestic helper’s house?
“Machines had to be brought in to count the cash. The whole country watched those scenes on television while Jharkhand stood with its head bowed in shame. Remember, getting bail is not a proof of innocence. The trial is still going on, the courts are yet to deliver and the wheels of the trial will continue to turn for a long time,” said Mr. Marandi.
Power, connections and resources could buy temporary help, he argued, but the stain on such cases is not easily erased.
“If you doubt this, look at Lalu Prasad’s political and legal journey. Power is gone, age has advanced and health has deteriorated, but the shadow of old cases still refuses to go away. In corruption cases, justice may come late, but it will surely come,” asserted Mr. Marandi.
Published – 15 May 2026 05:49 IST
