The Rajasthan High Court has condemned the ACB for clearing the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government in a major corruption scandal involving gold found in an Income Tax officer’s cupboards. The court has demanded a thorough investigation into the case.
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JAIPUR: The Rajasthan High Court has strongly criticized the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) for exonerating the former Congress government, led by Ashok Gehlot, from any involvement in a major corruption scandal. This case came to light after a substantial quantity of gold, valued in crores, was uncovered in the cupboards of an Income Tax Department officer at the state secretariat, raising serious questions about the integrity of the administration.
The incident dates back to 2019, when gold worth crores was discovered in the cupboards of Kuldeep Yadav, Deputy Director of the Income Tax Department, within his office at the state secretariat. This find was part of a broader probe into government corruption. Additionally, investigators found that Yadav’s wife held a large sum of money, also in crores, in her bank account.
Initially, the ACB had registered an FIR, alleging that Yadav’s father-in-law had gifted him the gold. However, this explanation raised doubts about the authenticity of the claim, leading to suspicions of a deeper network of corruption involving senior officials.
During a hearing on Friday(6th September), the Rajasthan High Court summoned ACB Director General Ravi Prakash Meharda and expressed its strong disapproval of the clean chit given to the previous government led by Ashok Gehlot.
The court made its displeasure known by stating-
“How could you possibly clear the IT Department? The extent of the corruption was such that office cupboards were overflowing with gold, as if there was no room to store it at home.”
In light of these developments, the High Court has ordered the ACB to conduct a comprehensive investigation into all tenders issued by the Gehlot administration during its five-year tenure from 2018 to 2023. This order underscores the court’s concerns about corruption and irregularities in the allocation of government tenders during this period.
The court emphasized the need for a thorough and unbiased investigation, directing the ACB to complete the probe within four weeks. The investigation is to be overseen by ACB Director General Meharda himself, with the court making it clear that this time, the investigation must leave no stone unturned.
During the hearing, the ACB chief, Ravi Prakash Meharda, raised concerns about the feasibility of completing such an extensive investigation within the given four-week timeframe. Meharda pointed out that the bureau had limited resources and that it would be challenging to investigate all tenders issued over five years in such a short period.
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However, the court remained firm in its directive, stating that the investigation must proceed regardless of the bureau’s resource limitations. In response to Meharda’s concerns, the court offered a degree of flexibility but insisted on moving forward with the investigation, stating that adjustments to the timeline could be made if necessary. The court, however, was unequivocal in its stance, sending a clear message that a delay based on resource constraints would not be an acceptable excuse.
The investigation into the gold recovery and the role of the Income Tax officer has also raised concerns about a possible cover-up. Petitioner TN Sharma, who has been at the forefront of the case, argued that Kuldeep Yadav was merely a frontman, and that senior officials within the government were the real culprits. Sharma alleged that the state government, under Ashok Gehlot’s leadership, was deliberately shielding these higher-ups to protect them from being implicated in the corruption scandal.
The petitioner’s claim highlights suspicions that the gold found in Yadav’s office may have been part of a larger scheme of misappropriation and corruption, involving powerful individuals who used lower-ranking officials as scapegoats.
The latest directive from the Rajasthan High Court represents a major development in the ongoing scrutiny of the Gehlot government’s tenure, which has been marred by allegations of corruption. The discovery of gold in a government officer’s office, combined with the unexplained cash in his wife’s bank account, is a testament to the depth of corruption alleged to have existed during this period.
The ACB’s earlier decision to clear the previous government of any involvement raised eyebrows and provoked outrage, with many questioning the integrity of the investigation. With the High Court stepping in and ordering a fresh probe, it is now evident that the judiciary is not willing to let these serious allegations be swept under the rug.
