Latest news with #Balwant
Time of India
9 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Rs 71cr MNREGA scam: Five govt officials get bail in Dahod
Vadodara: Five govt officials accused in the Rs 71 crore MNREGA scam unearthed in Devgadh Baria and Dhanpur talukas of Dahod district were granted bail by a magisterial court on Thursday. Their bail applications were heard on Monday and were posted for orders on Thursday. The five include former Devgadhbaria taluka development officer (TDO) Darshan Patel, account officers Jayvir Nagori and Mahipal Chauhan, and Gram Rozgar Sevaks (GRS) Mangal Pateliya and Fulsinh Bariya. Earlier, Gujarat's Minister of State for Agriculture and Panchayats Bachu Khabad's sons, Balwant and Kiran, were granted bail by the same court. They were, however, arrested in connection with two different cases later, and both are in police remand for investigation. The two fresh cases registered regarding the MNREGA scam concern irregularities in Devgadhbaria and Dhanpur talukas. Unlike the sons of the minister, the five officials were not named as accused in these cases. The remand of Balwant and Kiran will end on Friday, and they will be presented before the court. Their bails were also challenged in the Dahod sessions court by the investigating officer. Balwant and Kiran are linked to agencies that supplied material for MNREGA works in two talukas of Dahod district, even though they did not qualify as vendors in a bidding process. In total, 32 firms connected with the irregularity were detected in the probe by the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA), which registered an offence regarding the scam. The govt officials are accused of facilitating the swindling of money. The brothers are accused of siphoning off 40 per cent of the total amount of the scam. Vadodara: Five govt officials accused in the Rs 71 crore MNREGA scam unearthed in Devgadh Baria and Dhanpur talukas of Dahod district were granted bail by a magisterial court on Thursday. Their bail applications were heard on Monday and were posted for orders on Thursday. The five include former Devgadhbaria taluka development officer (TDO) Darshan Patel, account officers Jayvir Nagori and Mahipal Chauhan, and Gram Rozgar Sevaks (GRS) Mangal Pateliya and Fulsinh Bariya. Earlier, Gujarat's Minister of State for Agriculture and Panchayats Bachu Khabad's sons, Balwant and Kiran, were granted bail by the same court. They were, however, arrested in connection with two different cases later, and both are in police remand for investigation. The two fresh cases registered regarding the MNREGA scam concern irregularities in Devgadhbaria and Dhanpur talukas. Unlike the sons of the minister, the five officials were not named as accused in these cases. The remand of Balwant and Kiran will end on Friday, and they will be presented before the court. Their bails were also challenged in the Dahod sessions court by the investigating officer. Balwant and Kiran are linked to agencies that supplied material for MNREGA works in two talukas of Dahod district, even though they did not qualify as vendors in a bidding process. In total, 32 firms connected with the irregularity were detected in the probe by the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA), which registered an offence regarding the scam. The govt officials are accused of facilitating the swindling of money. The brothers are accused of siphoning off 40 per cent of the total amount of the scam.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Court reserves order on bail pleas of 5
Vadodara: The magisterial court in Dahod on Monday reserved its verdict on the bail pleas of five accused, all govt officers, in the Rs 71 crore National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) scam exposed in Dahod. The court heard the applications of former Devgadhbaria taluka development officer (TDO) Darshan Patel, account officers Jayvir Nagori and Mahipal Chauhan, and gram rozgar sevaks (GRSs) Mangal Pateliya and Fulsinh Bariya. The state govt appointed Ahmedabad-based lawyer Amit Nair as the special public prosecutor in this case. Nair argued there was adequate evidence against the five that suggested their proactive role in the scam and causing big losses to the exchequer. In a related development, the investigation officer filed an application seeking cancellation of bail granted to Balwant and Kiran, the two sons of Gujarat's minister for agriculture and panchayat Bachu Khabad. Balwant and Kiran were granted bail, but the former was arrested again on Sunday in another FIR lodged against him. Kiran was arrested on Thursday as soon as he was released on bail. Both are presently in police custody.
Time of India
17-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Guj panchayat minister's son held in 71cr NREGA scam
Vadodara: on Saturday arrested , the son of the Gujarat minister of state for panchayats, , in connection with an alleged Rs 71 crore National Rural Employment Guarantee (NREGA) scam that was unearthed in the district last month. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Balwant, Khabad's elder son, was linked to firms that received payments for the supply of materials even when they did not qualify through a bidding process. Police said Balwant was linked to Shri Raj Construction Co, while the younger son, Kiran, was connected to Shri Raj Traders. Both firms were among those that received money despite not winning the bid. Police confirmed their links to the firms during the investigation. Balwant and Kiran also applied for anticipatory bail in a Dahod court but later withdrew their petitions. Kiran is still at large. Balwant and Kiran were evading arrest, but the former was caught near Bathwada toll plaza in the district. Another accused in the case, taluka development officer Darshit Patel, presently posted in Kheda, was also arrested. He was earlier posted in Devgadh Baria. Both Balwant and Patel were presented in a Dahod court and were remanded to police custody for five days. This is the first time in recent memory that a sitting minister's son was arrested. The total number of arrests in the scam now stands at seven. The scam was unearthed last month, and an offence was registered by the director of the District Rural Development Authority (DRDA), who conducted an inquiry into the matter after representations about the scam. The state unit of the Congress also made representations about the scam in the assembly and submitted a memorandum. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Dahod DRDA conducted an inquiry after directives from the Dahod district panchayat. The inquiry revealed that 32 firms that supplied materials for NREGA works in Devgadh Baria and Dhanpur villages were not authorised to do so as they had not emerged as the lowest bidders. These include 25 firms that supplied material in Devgadh Baria taluka, four in Dhanpur taluka, and three in both these talukas. The offence mentioned that these firms received an amount of Rs 71 crore towards material. They submitted bills despite not being selected in the bidding process, and these bills were cleared. It also came to light that some works were never taken up, and money was paid to the agencies. Leader of Opposition in Gujarat Assembly, Amit Chavda, meanwhile, demanded that a special investigation team should be formed for the investigations in the scam. He added that the scam could be much larger and more details can be unearthed if an honest investigation is conducted. Bachu Khabad is a BJP heavyweight and OBC leader who has been an MLA since 2012.
Time of India
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Gujarat minister's son held for ties to company that swindled Rs 71 crore MGNREGS funds
VADODARA: Police in Gujarat Saturday arrested the elder son of minister of state for panchayats Bachu Khabad in connection with an alleged Rs 71 crore scam tied to MGNREGS in Dahod district. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Balwant Khabad was taken into custody near Bathwada toll plaza after weeks of evading arrest. Police alleged that he was linked to Shri Raj Construction Co, which received payments for supplying materials for Nrega projects despite not qualifying through bidding. His younger brother Kiran Khabad, connected to Shri Raj Traders, remains at large. Both firms received funds without securing contracts, police added. The scam, unearthed in April by Dahod's district rural development authority (DRDA), involved 32 firms supplying materials in Devgadh Baria and Dhanpur talukas. None had emerged as lowest bidders, a requirement under procurement rules. DRDA's inquiry revealed several projects were either never initiated or inflated, yet payments were cleared. Khabad, an OBC heavyweight of BJP and a four-term MLA, has not responded publicly to his son's arrest. Balwant and Kiran had filed anticipatory bail applications in Dahod court but later withdrew them. Balwant and co-accused Darshit Patel, a taluka development officer currently posted in Kheda, were produced in Dahod court and remanded in police custody for five days. Patel was earlier posted in Devgadh Baria, one of the talukas named in the investigation. Seven people have been arrested so far in the scam, which came to light following multiple representations to DRDA, including Congress legislators. Leader of opposition Amit Chavda, of Congress, demanded formation of an SIT, alleging: 'This scam could be much larger. Only an honest investigation can uncover full details.'
