Rajasthan MLA arrested for accepting ₹20 lakh bribe to drop questions in Assembly
In a first-of-its-kind action against a sitting legislator, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of the Rajasthan police on Sunday (May 4, 2025) arrested Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP) MLA Jaikrishn Patel on charges of accepting ₹20 lakh bribe from a mine owner at his official residence in Jaipur. Mr. Patel was caught red-handed after the ACB laid a trap.
Mr. Patel had allegedly demanded a bribe of ₹10 crore from the mine owner for dropping three questions related to some mining leases in Karauli district's Todabhim block, which were submitted in the previous session of the State Assembly. Two of the questions were starred and one was unstarred.
A starred question in the Assembly requires an oral answer from the Minister concerned during the Question Hour. Mr. Patel, elected from Banswara district's Bagidora constituency in the bypoll held in April 2024, had been under the ACB's radar since April 4. following a complaint lodged by the mine owner.
ACB Director-General Ravi Prakash Meharda said at a press conference, 'Following the negotiations, the bribe deal was struck at ₹2 crore, which was to be paid in instalments. The mine owner paid ₹1 lakh [to the MLA] in a visit to Banswara.'
The complainant went to Mr. Patel's residence on Sunday under the ACB's guidance to pay the second instalment of ₹20 lakh. An ACB team laid a trap after getting prior permission from Assembly Speaker Vasudev Devnani and Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, who holds the Home portfolio, and arrested the MLA when he accepted the money.
Mr. Meharda said a close aide of Mr. Patel fled with the money when he detected the presence of ACB sleuths. 'A manhunt has been launched to nab the staff member. The cash could not be recovered, but we have sufficient evidence of the MLA having received the money. We conducted a colour test on his fingers and have audio-visual recording of the incident,' he said.
Mr. Patel was later taken to the ACB headquarters at Jhalana Doongri here for further investigation and interrogation. Mr. Meharda said the MLA was being questioned about his interest in the mining activities in Todabhim, which was not situated in his constituency.
BAP MP from Banswara, Rajkumar Roat, said in a statement that though Mr. Patel could be a 'victim of conspiracy', action would be taken if he was found guilty. 'It is not clear how the money was offered to him. Rajasthan has witnessed conspiracies against the political parties which challenged the dominance of big players,' he said.
The BAP, which has four members in the State Assembly, had emerged as a splinter group from the Gujarat-based Bharatiya Tribal Party in 2023. The party's support base has been growing because of its emphasis on the tribal identity, demand for a separate State for the tribal Bhil community and the promise for 75% reservation for the tribal population in education and jobs.
The byelection at Bagidora Assembly seat was held after the incumbent MLA and former Minister Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya resigned, left Congress, and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Mr. Patel won the seat with the support extended by the Opposition Congress. He had earlier contested the 2023 Assembly election and placed second.
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