Former IAS officer Agarwal sent to 14-day judicial custody in Rs 960 cr JJM scam in Rajasthan

Jaipur, April 15 Retired IAS officer Subodh Agarwal was on Wednesday remanded to 14 days of judicial custody by an Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) court in connection with the alleged Rs 960 crore Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) scam in Rajasthan.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau had sought an extension of police custody, but the plea was opposed by Agarwal during the hearing. After hearing both sides, the court rejected the ACB’s request and remanded him to judicial custody.

Citing safety concerns, Agarwal has also moved an application seeking to be lodged in a separate cell.

During the proceedings, he questioned the agency’s claims, saying, “You are saying I did not answer your questions. Please specify which questions I failed to answer.”

Earlier, the ACB had prepared a detailed questionnaire of around 100 questions and carried out extensive interrogation over the past few days. Agarwal, however, maintained that he had cooperated fully with the investigation in connection with the case.

“I have answered every question put to me,” he told reporters while being escorted to court.

On Monday, Agarwal claimed that of the 37 cases examined by the Finance Committee during his tenure, only four pertained to his period, while the remaining 33 cases, amounting to nearly Rs 600 crore, related to his predecessor’s tenure. He further alleged that the probe was selectively focusing on cases where “no money was taken”, while ignoring instances involving actual financial irregularities.

Agarwal’s health had reportedly deteriorated during the interrogation on Tuesday evening, though subsequent medical examination found his condition to be stable.

In a related development, the ACB court also rejected his plea for interim bail to attend the terahvi (thirteenth-day ritual) of his mother-in-law.

The case remains under investigation, with the ACB examining financial decisions taken during Agarwal’s tenure as Chairman of the Finance Committee in the Water Supply Department between April 2022 and May 2023.

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