Ranchi: Jharkhand High Court on Friday asked litigant Diwan Indranil Sinha to approach the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) with his petition alleging gross financial irregularities during the much-touted Global Investors' Summit hosted in Hotwar, Ranchi, in February 2017.

The court of Chief Justice Aniruddha Bose and Justice D.N. Patel, while hearing the PIL against former chief secretary Rajbala Verma and others, said the ACB was the right institution to address the grievances and probe the charges .

Sinha, in his petition, alleged that Verma, secretary to CM Sunil Barnwal, former principal secretary to CM Sanjay Kumar and industries director K. Ravi Kumar misused their official posts and misappropriated money from the public exchequer on the pretext of expenses for hosting the Momentum Jharkhand meet.

The summit was modelled on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Make in India initiative. It was aimed at establishing the state as a premier destination for both domestic and international investors.

Sinha's PIL alleged that large amounts of public money was siphoned off by the senior IAS officers who were in total control of the funds and the programme.

Verma, for one, has also been at the centre of controversies for failing to unravel the fodder scam played out in district treasuries while she was West Singhbhum deputy commissioner in 1990-91.

Last year, JVM chief and former CM Babulal Marandi too had highlighted corruption in organising the summit. "The ruling party is neck-deep in corruption. It spent Rs 33 lakh to feed 250 people during the Global Investors' Summit in Ranchi," Marandi had said.

PILs disposed of

Jharkhand High Court on Friday disposed of as many as 100 public interest litigations listed over a span of two hours. The division bench of Chief Justice Anirrudha Bose and Justice D.N. Patel directed the state authorities to take proper steps to redress the grievances of the petitioners.