News Analysis India

Tag: ACB

  • AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan arrested after raids by Delhi anti-corruption branch

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Delhi Anti-Corruption Branch on Friday arrested AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan in connection with a graft case, officials said.

    The ACB is probing alleged irregularities in the recruitment in the Delhi Waqf Board, which Khan heads as the chairman.

    The ACB on Friday conducted searches at Khan’s house and other premises linked to him and seized Rs 24 lakh as well as two unlicensed weapons, the officials said.

    The ACB had issued a notice to Khan on Thursday for questioning in connection with the Prevention of Corruption Act case registered in 2020. The Okhla MLA was called for questioning at 12 pm on Friday.

    Khan, the chairman of the Delhi Waqf Board, had tweeted about the notice, claiming he has been summoned as he built a new Waqf board office.

    A senior official said the searches were conducted on Friday at the house of Khan and his other locations.

    A total of Rs 24 lakh in cash, two unlicensed weapon and some cartridges were seized, the official said.

    Earlier, the ACB had written to the Lieutenant Governor’s Secretariat that Khan be removed as the Delhi Waqf Board chairman for allegedly hampering a probe by “bullying” witnesses in a case against him.

    NEW DELHI: The Delhi Anti-Corruption Branch on Friday arrested AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan in connection with a graft case, officials said.

    The ACB is probing alleged irregularities in the recruitment in the Delhi Waqf Board, which Khan heads as the chairman.

    The ACB on Friday conducted searches at Khan’s house and other premises linked to him and seized Rs 24 lakh as well as two unlicensed weapons, the officials said.

    The ACB had issued a notice to Khan on Thursday for questioning in connection with the Prevention of Corruption Act case registered in 2020. The Okhla MLA was called for questioning at 12 pm on Friday.

    Khan, the chairman of the Delhi Waqf Board, had tweeted about the notice, claiming he has been summoned as he built a new Waqf board office.

    A senior official said the searches were conducted on Friday at the house of Khan and his other locations.

    A total of Rs 24 lakh in cash, two unlicensed weapon and some cartridges were seized, the official said.

    Earlier, the ACB had written to the Lieutenant Governor’s Secretariat that Khan be removed as the Delhi Waqf Board chairman for allegedly hampering a probe by “bullying” witnesses in a case against him.

  • RSS leader Nimbaram moves High Court in Jaipur bribery case

    Express News Service

    JAIPUR: RSS leader Nimbaram who is an accused in a bribery case launched by the Anti-Corruption Bureau has filed a petition in the Rajasthan High Court asking for the FIR against him to be quashed. The ‘Kshetriya Pracharak’ or regional publicist of the RSS in the state, Nimbaram is one of the four accused in a graft case involving alleged kickbacks of 20 crores in the Jaipur Greater Municipal Corporation’s contract with a garbage collection firm. But Congress says that Nimbaram’s move proves that he is guilty and is only trying to save his skin. 

    In his plea before the High Court, Nimbaram has alleged that his name was being dragged into the issue due to political reasons. RSS and BJP leaders have repeatedly argued since the ACB booked him in June that Nimbaram is being dragged into the case only to defame a nationalist organisation.

    “We have said in the petition that the purported Rs 20 crore commission deal recorded on a video tape was not between the named RSS leader Nimbaram and BVG company officials. He is being politically harassed by the Congress party,” said BJP legal cell lawyer GS Gill, who filed the petition on behalf of the RSS leader at the Jaipur bench of the high court.

    He further added that political malice behind the case is “evident from the fact that the Congress has brought a resolution against the RSS. We have sought quashing of the FIR as the ACB has found no incriminating material against Nimbaram.” The petition argues that though Nimbaram was not seen speaking in the video, the ACB made him an accused only to please its political masters from the ruling Congress.

    The ACB had registered the case on the basis of a video clip that surfaced on social media, in which the Mayor’s husband Rajaram Gurjar and a BVG representative were allegedly trying to strike a deal for a Rs 20 crore ‘commission’ from the firm for getting its payment of Rs 276 crore released from the municipal body. RSS regional Pracharak Nimbaram was also seen sitting with them in this video on the basis of which the ACB has made him an accused in this corruption case.

    The ACB sent the videos for FSL examination after registering a preliminary enquiry (PE). Once the videos were certified as authentic, the ACB booked four people in this case, which includes RSS leader Nimbaram who was also seen in the video. The ACB has served two notices to Nimbaram but he is yet to respond to them and has not been spotted in Rajasthan for the past two months.

    While the ACB has arrested Rajaram Gurjar, the Mayor’s husband and a representative of BVG (the waste management firm engaged in door-to-door garbage collection in Jaipur) on charges of corruption, the ruling Congress wants that even RSS leader Nimbaram should be arrested in this case. Congress leaders also question that if the RSS Pracharak is innocent and has done nothing objectionable, why is Nimbaram skipping a meeting with ACB officials.

    After the  RSS leader filed petition in the court the Congress chief in the state  Govind Singh Dotasra has hit back and said that the move only proves that the Nimbaram is guilty conscious. At a press conference in Jaipur on Friday he remarked ,” our contention about his guilt is  has been proved by his move to go to the court. Since he is guilty we wany strong action against him now that he has moved the court we will see how the legal process goes ahead.”

  • Chhattisgarh IPS officer GP Singh​ suspended after ACB raids at his premises

    By PTI
    RAIPUR: The Chhattisgarh government on Monday suspended senior IPS officer GP Singh, whose premises were raided by the Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Economic Offences Wing in a disproportionate assets case, officials said.

    The ACB/EOW, which carried out a three-day search at around 15 locations linked to Singh, an Additional Director General (ADG)-rank officer, from July 1 to July 3 claimed to have discovered movable and immovable assets worth over Rs 10 crore allegedly belonging to him.

    The state’s Home Department issued his suspension order late in the evening.

    The 1994-batch officer, who was earlier ADG of the ACB and EOW, was currently serving as director of the state police academy.

    “After preliminary probe into complaints against Singh for allegedly amassing disproportionate assets during his service period, the EOW registered a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988. He seems to be involved in activities which are not expected from a government official.

    “Singh’s such alleged act is against the All India Services (Conduct) Rules 1968. Therefore, disciplinary action should be taken against him,” the order said.

    The state government has suspended Singh with immediate effect.

    During his suspension period, he will report to the police headquarters in Raipur, it said.

    The ACB had earlier said documents found during searches at Singh’s premises established that he had allegedly amassed assets disproportionate to his known source of income and indulged in “massive exchange of money”.

    “Singh had also allegedly tried to commit money laundering by investing in shell companies (entities engaged in unlawful activities). He had allegedly amassed disproportionate assets in Raipur, Bhilai, Rajnandgaon (of Chhattisgarh) and Odisha,” the anti-graft agency had said in a statement.

  • Husband of suspended Jaipur Mayor arrested in corruption case, senior RSS functionary named in FIR

    Express News Service
    JAIPUR: The Anti-corruption Bureau (ACB) of Rajasthan has arrested Rajaram Gurjar, husband of suspended Jaipur Greater Municipal Corporation mayor Somya Gurjar in a corruption case on Tuesday. The agency had initiated a probe against Rajaram and BVG India Limited after a video showing him negotiating a Rs 20 crore commission deal with a representative of the company went viral on social media. A company representative, identified as Omkar, has also been arrested by the ACB.

    Significantly, a senior functionary ( Pracharak) of the RSS, Nimba Ram, has also been named in the FIR registered by the ACB as his supportive presence has prima facie been confirmed in this case when the dubious deal was being discussed. Besides the case against the main accused, the ACB has booked Nimba Ram under sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act 2018 and under section 120B of the IPC. Nimba Ram was also seen in a video where the Mayor’s husband purportedly demands a hefty bribe for the release of the pending payment to BVG company.

    The ACB action comes just a day after the Rajasthan High Court had upheld Mayor Somya Gurjar’s suspension.

    In the video that had gone viral over a fortnight ago, Rajaram Gurjar was seen allegedly trying to strike a deal with a garbage collection company that is to be given a payment of 276 crores. He was seen asking for 10% commission for the release of the large payment.  However, in an official statement, the company had refuted the allegations.

    The ACB had sent the video for a forensic examination. DG ACB BL Soni said that the video clips were also sent to a prestigious lab outside Rajasthan for analysis. “After getting the report from both the labs, we have arrested Rajaram Gurjar and Omkar. The investigation is going on against Nimba Ram and other accused persons under 120B of IPC and relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act,” Soni said.

    ACB sources say that Nimba Ram may soon be called for interrogation.

    The BJP had said that the entire video is a conspiracy to malign the RSS and BJP but the  Gehlot government had insisted that it will get to the bottom of this mess and bring out the truth through the ACB probe. With the mayor’s husband being arrested and an RSS leader in the dock through the ACB action, this sensational case could greatly stir politics in Rajasthan.

  • Rajasthan ACP, who sought sexual favours from rape survivor, summarily dismissed

    Express News Service
    JAIPUR: The Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), who sought sexual favours as bribe from a rape survivor in Jaipur, has summarily been sacked by the Gehlot Government on Tuesday. 

    The ACP Kailash Bohra was caught red-handed by the sleuths of the anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Sunday when he made sexual advances on the young rape survivor in his office premises. 

    The ACB used a novel method to catch the culprit. The ACB team used the same chemical and method in this extraordinary case that is normally used for trapping corrupt officials who demand money in cash currency.  ACB officials claim it’s the first time that such a methodology has been used in a case of such a serious and sensitive nature.

    The DG of ACB, B L Soni said that “the rape survivor had filed a complaint about a week ago. After initially asking for money, ACP Bohra later asked her to provide sexual favours as a bribe from the rape survivor.”

    ASP (Jaipur Rural) Narottam Verma, who headed the operation, said, “It was a very sensitive situation. In normal corruption cases, we can trap people with chemicals on the notes. But in this case, there could be no such recoveries. However, we did need to have concrete evidence since that is what is demanded and matters in court cases.”   

    On Sunday, when Bohra called the woman to his office, she and the ACB team expected that he would try to make advances. So to catch the officer red-handed, the ACB team sprinkled some Phenolphthalein powder on her clothes. This is the same white-coloured powder which is spread on currency notes that are likely to come in contact with the hands of officials who demand money as bribes. As this chemical is invisible, when any official receives or touches the money, that chemical sticks to his hands and when those hands are dipped in sodium carbonate, the water changes its colour from white to pink.

    When ACP Bohra started making advances on the woman and touched her on Sunday, his hands caught the invisible powder – and that has now created solid evidence about his behaviour. As ASP Narottam Verma confirms, “Our team raided Bohra and arrested him in a compromising situation, just before he could begin a physical contact with the complainant.”