JAIPUR: In a significant move, the Rajasthan government has approved an Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) investigation against six officers, including former Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) of the Water Resources Department, Subodh Agarwal, in connection with alleged fraud and irregularities in Jal Jeevan Mission tenders.
The list also includes Gopal Singh, brother of BJP MLA Devi Singh Shekhawat. The sanction for investigation under Section 17-A of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act was granted at the Chief Minister’s level.
Earlier, permission had been granted to probe 12 officers, taking the total number of officials under scrutiny to 18. Both the ACB and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) are already conducting parallel inquiries into the alleged scam, which investigators estimate to be worth nearly Rs 900 crore. Former minister Mahesh Joshi recently secured bail from the Supreme Court in this case.
Sources said that approval was originally sought to investigate eight officers, but after nearly a year’s wait, the government has cleared action against six.
Subodh Agarwal served as ACS of the Water Resources Department from May 16, 2023, to January 12, 2024. He is currently Chairman and Managing Director of the Rajasthan Finance Corporation and is scheduled to retire later this month.
Gopal Singh, now Secretary of the Housing Board, earlier worked as Deputy Secretary in the Water Resources Department from April 25, 2022, to December 18, 2023.