Jal Jeevan Mission scam: IAS officer Subodh Agarwal says he has faith

Retired IAS officer Subodh Agarwal, arrested in the Jal Jeevan Mission scam, was produced in a Jaipur court. He expressed faith in the judiciary. The court has granted the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) a three-day police custody remand.

Retired IAS officer Subodh Agarwal, who is allegedly involved in the 'Jal Jeevan Mission' scam, was produced before the court on Friday in Jaipur. Upon his arrival at the court, Agarwal said he has complete faith in the judicial system. "Completely. Not just hope. I have faith," Agarwal told reporters.

Defence Argues Against Remand

Advocate Amit Singh, representing former IAS officer Subodh Agarwal, appeared in court to oppose the remand application moved by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB). The defence argued that only four tenders were issued during Agarwal's tenure, while the majority were issued earlier by previous officers.

The defence further submitted that when irregularities were detected, Agarwal himself cancelled the tender and initiated action by registering an FIR against his own employee, Vishal Saxena, thereby negating any allegation of conspiracy. "... He was brought before the Court for remand, and has had their remand opposed. We raised our legal provisions and rights before the Court. In this case, a total of 37 tenders were issued by the PHED Department, of which 33 were during the tenure of previous officers. Only four tenders were issued during the present tenure. Out of these, one tender was cancelled by the officer himself after discovering irregularities, and in relation to that, he lodged an FIR against his employee, Vishal Saxena... Therefore, when charges under Section 120B are being pressed, it is important to note that this is the same person who himself lodged the FIR against the irregularities. Hence, there is no role of conspiracy here. The larger defence, based on documents and facts, will be presented before the Court during the process. The ACB sought five days' remand, but we opposed it and placed our legal rights before the Court," Singh told reporters.

Court Grants 3-Day Police Custody

Later, the advocate mentioned that the court had granted three days of police custody. Consequently, the accused will be presented before the court again on April 13. "ACB has asked for a five-day remand. The Court granted them three days of police custody. He will be presented before the Court on 13th April next..." added Singh.

Background of the Scam and Arrest

Earlier, Rajasthan's Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested absconding former IAS officer Subodh Agarwal in New Delhi on Thursday in connection with the alleged Jal Jeevan Mission scam.

According to ACB officials, two private firms had submitted fake completion certificates and a forged letter of award from Indian Railway Construction International Limited (IRCON) alongside their bid documents to secure contracts. This was allegedly done in connivance with senior officials of Rajasthan's Public Health Engineering Department (PHED). The discrepancies came to light when the Additional Chief Engineer of the PHED sought to verify the documents, which prompted the IRCON Bengaluru office to declare the certificates as forged.

It is alleged that by using these fake completion certificates, tenders worth approximately Rs 960 crore were allegedly raised in the state. (ANI)

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