ACB grills ex-IAS Subodh Agarwal in JJM scam probe; interim bail denied

Jaipur: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Saturday questioned former IAS officer Subodh Agarwal over his role and the alleged involvement of other officials in the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) scam, sources said.

Investigators asked Agarwal whether he was aware of the engineers and other personnel working under him and their roles in executing projects, sources said. He was also questioned on why he allegedly failed to act on complaints about the use of forged IRCON certificates by two firms — Shri Ganpati Tubewell and Shri Shyam Tubewell.

The questioning also focused on Vishal Saxena, then an executive engineer tasked with verifying a certificate submitted by Shri Ganpati Tubewell. Saxena has alleged he was directed by PHED officials to submit a positive verification report.

An official said the probe was continuing. “We are investigating the case and interrogation is underway. We have asked him several important questions and the probe will continue to find answers to your questions,” the official said.

Agarwal also moved an application seeking interim bail following the death of his mother-in-law, but the court rejected it, saying that since the accused is already in remand, granting interim bail at this stage is not appropriate.

His counsel, SS Hora, said the court was asked to allow Agarwal to attend post-death rituals. “We have applied for interim bail as Agarwal’s mother-in-law has passed away. We requested the court that the post-death rituals will continue for 13 days, and the court may grant bail for a period it deems appropriate,” Hora said.

Hora said a fresh interim bail application is likely to be filed before the special court dealing with Prevention of Corruption Act cases on Monday.