Jaipur, June 4 (IANS) In a significant development in the widely discussed large-scale corruption case related to the Jal Jeevan Mission, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Rajasthan, on Thursday filed a charge sheet against retired IAS officer Subodh Agarwal before ACB Court No. 1, Jaipur.

The comprehensive charge sheet, comprising approximately 17,500 pages, was submitted by the ACB following an extensive investigation.

Govind Gupta, Director General of Police, Anti-Corruption Bureau, said that the investigation conducted by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the ACB revealed that tenders worth approximately Rs 979.27 crore were awarded on the basis of forged documents and fabricated work-completion certificates.

The investigation further uncovered extensive financial irregularities and acts of corruption allegedly carried out through collusion between certain officials of the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) and private individuals.

The probe also revealed that, in several tenders, conditions contrary to established rules were deliberately incorporated to manipulate competition. Such actions compromised the integrity and fairness of the tendering process and were intended to cause substantial financial loss to the state.

In connection with the case, the ACB has already filed charge sheets against 10 accused persons, namely Dinesh Goyal, Krishnadeep Gupta, Shubhanshu Dixit, Sushil Sharma, Niril Kumar, Vishal Saxena, Arun Srivastava, D.K. Gaur, Mahendra Prakash Soni and Mukesh Pathak.

The investigation concerning former Minister Mahesh Joshi, Sanjay Badaya and other individuals involved in the matter is still in progress.

The inquiry has revealed that, through a conspiracy allegedly involving the then Minister Mahesh Joshi, the then Additional Chief Secretary (PHED) Subodh Agarwal, departmental officials, contractors, private individual Sanjay Badaya and others, a mandatory “Site Visit Certificate” requirement, allegedly contrary to established rules, was incorporated into tender conditions for major projects valued at over Rs 50 crore.

According to the investigation, this requirement facilitated “tender pooling” by revealing the identities of prospective bidders, resulting in abnormally high tender premiums ranging from 30 per cent to 40 per cent.

The findings indicate alleged abuse of official position and widespread corruption in tenders collectively valued at approximately Rs 20,000 crore.

Further legal action will be initiated in accordance with applicable laws and rules upon completion of the ongoing investigation.

The charge sheet was filed before the court by the Investigating Officer, Additional Superintendent of Police Mahaveer Prasad Sharma.

The investigation was conducted by a Special Investigation Team comprising Additional Superintendents of Police Himanshu Kuldeep, Bhupendra Singh and Mahaveer Prasad Sharma under the supervision of Deputy Inspector General of Police (ACB) Dr Rameshwar Singh.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau said it remains committed to conducting a fair, impartial and comprehensive investigation into the case and ensuring strict legal action against all persons found guilty.

–IANS

arc/pgh