Rs 960cr Jal Jeevan Mission scam: ACB court extends ex-IAS officer Subodh Agarwal’s remand

JAIPUR: Retired IAS officer Subodh Agarwal, arrested in connection with the alleged Rs 960 crore Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) scam, was produced again before the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) court Monday. The court remanded him to two days of police custody, extending the agency’s interrogation in the case. Agarwal had earlier been sent to three days of police remand on April 10. After the remand period ended, he was brought to court again around 9 am. Speaking briefly to reporters outside court, Agarwal said he had “cooperated in the investigation” and claimed he answered all questions asked by the ACB. He denied wrongdoing and claimed only four of the 37 finance committee cases under scrutiny relate to his tenure, while 33 cases—worth nearly Rs 600 crore—belong to the period when IAS officer Sudhansh Pant was chairman of the finance committee. Agarwal served as chairman of the Public Health Engineering Department’s finance committee from April 18, 2022, to May 17, 2023. He also alleged the investigation was not focusing on the actual beneficiaries of the alleged corruption, saying those who did not take money were being named while those who did were not being investigated. ACB officials, on the other hand, said a questionnaire of around 125 questions was prepared for Agarwal, and he was interrogated over the past three days on financial approvals, tender processes, and fund disbursal under the JJM scheme. Investigating officials said the fresh remand would help examine financial transactions, trace the chain of approvals, and fix accountability, adding that further arrests and disclosures could follow. Agarwal was arrested on April 9 in the Jal Jeevan Mission tender scam case.ACB charge-sheetIn a major development in the Rajasthan Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) scam, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Monday filed a massive 16,000-page chargesheet against 10 accused officials before a special ACB court, marking a significant step in the ongoing probe. The chargesheet, compiled in 54 red bundles, highlights the scale and seriousness of the alleged corruption in the implementation of the central govt’s rural water supply scheme.The chargesheet, compiled in 54 red bundles, highlights the scale and seriousness of the alleged corruption in the implementation of the central govt’s rural water supply scheme.The ACB has named 10 key accused in the chargesheet, including senior PHED officials and technical experts.All accused are currently in judicial custody, and the ACB is expected to seek prosecution sanction from the govt.