The alleged ₹900 crore scam in the Jal Jeevan Mission prompted one of Rajasthan’s largest anti-corruption operations in recent years, with the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) raiding 15 locations across India on Tuesday. The early-morning raids targeted offices and residences in Rajasthan, Bihar, and Jharkhand, sending shockwaves through bureaucratic and political circles.
Within Rajasthan, searches were conducted in Jaipur, Barmer, Sikar, and Jalore, focusing on firms linked to the award of tenders under the Jal Jeevan Mission. Officials scrutinised documents, electronic records, and financial transactions to trace irregularities in contract allocations, with an eye on potential manipulation of tender approvals.
Retired senior IAS officer Subodh Agarwal was questioned after ACB teams searched his residence. He is alleged to have facilitated tenders worth crores for select companies based on allegedly forged experience certificates. The investigation aims to determine the extent of his involvement and links to other key beneficiaries.
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Over half a dozen individuals, including KD Gupta, Niril Kumar, Sushil Sharma, DK Gaur, Mahendra Soni, Vishal Saxena, Dinesh Goyal, Shubhanshu Dixit, and Arun Srivastava, have been detained for questioning. Officials indicated that formal arrests could follow after detailed interrogations. The probe is being led by DIG Dr. Rameshwar Singh and SP Pushpendra Singh Rathore, heading the Special Investigation Team.
During the raids, ACB teams seized electronic devices, bank records, financial documents, and diaries to help trace the alleged money trail. Earlier in the investigation, former PHED minister Mahesh Joshi and several engineers were arrested for their alleged roles in the irregularities.
The expanded crackdown suggests that enforcement agencies are now focusing on senior officials and other influential figures allegedly linked to the scheme, signaling a widening of the probe into one of the biggest financial irregularities in the Jal Jeevan Mission in Rajasthan.
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