Rs 960-Crore Jal Jeevan Mission Scam: Ex-IAS Officer Sent To 3-Day Remand

In the high-profile Rajasthan Jal Jeevan Mission scam case, a retired IAS officer was sent to three-day remand until April 13, while the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) had sought five days of remand from the court.

During the hearing, the investigating officer said there had been large-scale fraud and financial transactions, and five days' time was needed for questioning important for investigating all aspects of the case. He said it that apart from the financial and technical angles, digital evidence also needs to be examined.

The allegations against retired IAS officer Subodh Agarwal are that while serving as ACS in the PHED, he ignored complaints against M/s Shri Ganpati Tubewell and Shri Shyam Tubewell under the JJM scheme and both firms continued to secure the tenders. The two firms' proprietors, Mahesh Mittal and Padam Chand Jain, are accused of securing tenders worth around Rs 960 crore by using forged certificates of Ircon International Company.

After the complaints, Agarwal sent XEN Vishal Saxena for an inquiry. It is alleged that Saxena, in connivance with another accused Mukesh Pathak, validated the certificates as genuine.

ACB had arrested Saxena from Barmer on February 17 and Pathak from Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh, and carried out raids at around 15 locations.

According to sources, Pathak had impersonated Ircon International CEO Vijay Shankar and approved the certificates. Later, the real CEO of Ircon sent a complaint to PHED by email, but no action was taken on it.

Special Public Prosecutor Alok Ravi, appearing for the prosecution, said Agarwal was the department secretary at the time, and it was ultimately his responsibility to question the officers concerned.

On the other hand, lawyers representing Agarwal opposed the remand. Advocate Sahajveer Baweja argued that the accused was not informed of the reasons for the arrest. The case had been pending for a long time, so there was no need for an arrest at this stage

"According to Supreme Court directions, the accused must be informed of the grounds for arrest and provided the remand application before being produced for remand. Agarwal had surrendered voluntarily," he said in court. 

After hearing both sides, the court ordered three days of remand. During this period, the ACB will probe Agarwal in depth, and major revelations may emerge.

While leaving the court complex, Agarwal told NDTV that he had faith in the judicial process, but remained silent on other questions. When asked about the petition pending in the Rajasthan High Court, he said that his lawyers would speak on the matter.

Agarwal had been missing for a long time and a lookout notice had earlier been issued against him. He was later declared a fugitive. On Thursday evening, the ACB arrested him from Delhi. Earlier, Agarwal had filed a petition in the High Court seeking cancellation of the FIR. However, the matter has not yet been heard.