'No Evidence' produced yet in Rs 10 Crore bribe claim against IAS Dr. Nagarjun Gowda

IAS officer Dr. Nagarjun Gowda, once hailed for his inspiring journey from doctor to civil servant and author of a book on ethics, recently found himself at the center of a media storm after being accused of corruption. However, some reports now suggest that the allegations were not only baseless but also rooted in misinformation and procedural lapses.

The controversy began when RTI activist Anand Jat accused Gowda of accepting a ₹10 crore bribe to waive off a ₹51 crore penalty imposed on PATH, a private company involved in the Betul–Indore highway construction under the Bharatmala project. Jat claimed the officer had unlawfully reduced the fine to ₹4,000 — a claim that quickly made headlines.

In his own statement, he admitted to having no evidence and said the allegation was based on hearsay.

The ₹51 crore notice had been issued before Gowda assumed charge as ADM, Harda. During subsequent hearings, key facts emerged: several of the land parcels where illegal excavation was alleged already had valid mining permits, while others had been previously excavated by different firms or local farmers under government schemes. In fact, some of the digging attributed to PATH occurred before the company was even awarded the project.

Crucially, the original notice was issued without proper verification. The tehsildar admitted in court that the notice was based on a media report, not on-ground findings. Furthermore, state rules exempt soil and murum used in Bharatmala projects from royalty, which meant the formula used to calculate the penalty was not legally valid.

After six months of hearings and a review of all documentation, ADM Gowda revoked the penalty due to lack of evidence and procedural flaws. He also held the mining department accountable for its negligence in monitoring past excavation activity.

According to the reports, Anand Jat has a long history of making similar kind of accusations against multiple individuals. In this case too, he failed to provide proofs so far. In his own statement, Jat admitted he had no evidence, and had made the allegations based on hearsay.

Notably, he has seven criminal cases registered against him for blackmail, extortion, and intimidation. He has been jailed multiple times and was even externed from the district once.