Latest news with #KiranKhabad
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
MGNREGA ‘scam': Khabad brothers sent to judicial custody, five others get bail
A court in Dahod on Friday sent Balvantsinh Khabad and Kiran Khabad — sons of Gujarat Minister of State for Panchayat, Bachubhai Khabad — to judicial custody, after the end of their police remand in two separate cases. The cases were lodged against them at Dahod B Division police station, following their bail in the first FIR of alleged irregularities in the works carried out under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in district's Devgadh Baria and Dhanpur talukas. The development came a day after a court on Thursday granted regular bail to five others arrested in the first FIR of April 24. Those who have been granted bail include then Taluka Development Officer (TDO) of Devgadh Baria, Darshan Patel; Rasik Rathwa — the current Deputy District Development Officer (DDO) of Dahod, who was then the TDO of Dhanpur taluka; the accountants of the MGNREGA branch, Jayveer Nagori and Mahipalsinh Chauhanand, and technical assistant Manish Patel. The alleged scam — spanning from April 2021 to December 2024 — came to light when the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) Director BM Patel discovered a large number of irregularities in the payments made for incomplete projects under MGNREGA in two villages in Devgadh Baria and one village in Dhanpur taluka, where several metres of road was left unconstructed but payments were made to 'unauthorised agencies', using forged completion certificates of the work. While 14 persons were arrested in connection with the FIR and sent to judicial custody at the end of their police remand, the Khabad brothers were granted regular bail on May 29, after the Dahod Sessions court rejected the police revision petition challenging the bail order. Within minutes of their release from Dahod sub-jail, Kiran Khabad was arrested in a second FIR filed by DRDA in-charge Director while Balvantsinh was arrested in another FIR two days later. On Friday, investigating officer DySP Jagdishsinh Bhandari told The Indian Express, 'Both Balvantsinh and Kiran Khabad have been sent to judicial custody on Friday. A total of five accused were granted bail. The remaining nine accused are in judicial custody… The probe is on in the case of other accused involved in the case, who are yet to be arrested.'
Time of India
30-05-2025
- Time of India
Minister's younger son remanded to police custody for seven days in MNREGA scam
Vadodara: The younger son of state minister of state for panchayat and agriculture, Kiran Khabad was remanded to seven days of police custody in connection with a second FIR registered by Dahod police in the ongoing MNREGA scam investigation. Kiran had recently secured bail along with his elder brother, Balwant Khabad, in the first case involving alleged irregularities worth Rs 71 crore under the rural employment scheme in Dahod district. However, immediately after his release from jail, Kiran was rearrested in a separate case linked to Lavariya village, where 21 MNREGA projects were found to exist only on paper. In Oct last year, a departmental inquiry was initiated based on a complaint by a resident of Lavariya. The probe revealed that several sanctioned works were either not executed or left incomplete, yet payments had been made to agencies as if the work had been completed. Dahod police produced Kiran before a local court on Friday and sought a 14-day remand for further interrogation. The court granted a seven-day police custody. Sources said police have issued notices to several individuals associated with the 32 agencies under scrutiny, including two reportedly linked to the Khabad brothers. These agencies allegedly supplied materials for MNREGA projects despite lacking official authorization.
The Print
30-05-2025
- Politics
- The Print
MGNREGA ‘scam': Gujarat minister's son arrested in second case soon after getting bail in first
'Kiran Khabad was arrested on Thursday night after he came out of jail on bail in the first FIR. He was arrested in a fresh case lodged by Dahod police. As per the fresh FIR, some agencies, including Kiran, received payments from the government without completing work allotted to them under MGNREGA,' said Deputy Superintendent of Police Jagdishsinh Bhandari. Kiran Khabad, son of Gujarat minister of state for panchayat and agriculture, was arrested two weeks ago for alleged involvement in a Rs 71 crore Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scam unearthed last month in Dahod. Dahod, May 30 (PTI) The son of Gujarat minister Bachubhai Khabad was arrested immediately after he was granted bail in another case connected to MGNREGA works, a senior police official said on Friday. As per the fresh FIR lodged by Dahod 'B' division police on Thursday evening against agency owners and government officials, payment of Rs 18.41 lakh has been made to agencies despite incomplete work carried out in Lavaria village of Dahod under MGNREGA. Kiran was arrested along with his brother Balvant two weeks ago after the Dahod police registered an FIR of cheating, forgery and breach of trust against unidentified persons, including government employees, following the unearthing of a Rs 71 crore scam by the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA). As per the FIR, they had not completed the assigned work or supplied the required materials between 2021 and 2024 but claimed payments by submitting bogus work completion certificates and forged documents. According to police, Balvant and Kiran are proprietors of agencies implicated in fraudulent MGNREGA projects carried out in the Devgadh Baria and Dhanpur talukas of Dahod district. After their remand ended, both of them were sent to judicial custody and subsequently granted bail by a local court on Thursday. PTI COR PJT BNM This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Time of India
30-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Another FIR registered for NREGA scam
Vadodara: An offence was finally registered by the district rural development agency (DRDA) for illegalities in NREGA works at Lavariya village in Devgadhbaria taluka. Kiran Khabad, the younger son of Gujarat minister of state for agriculture and panchayats, Bachu Khabad, has been arrested for this. On May 20, The Times of India reported that the illegalities that came to light in Oct pointed to a scam. In Oct, a departmental inquiry had been conducted into the allegations made by a resident of Lavariya. The probe revealed illegalities in 21 works in the village. The probe was conducted by the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA), regarding which a letter was written to the rural development commissioner. It emerged that of the 79 works in the village for which allegations were made, 21 were not taken up at all. The applicant alleged that the works were just shown as completed online and payments were made for them. The value of these irregularities was Rs 18.4 lakh. The inquiry found that a technical assistant, Manish Patel and gram rozgar sevak Kanti Bariya, were culpable. Both had been employed on 11-month contracts and their services were then terminated. Manish's name cropped up again in connection with the Rs 71 crore NREGA scam, for which an offence was registered on April 24. He was arrested on May 12 with other accused persons. After the DRDA report on Lavariya village, the taluka development officer (TDO) was authorized to file an offence for the illegalities but did not do so. It has now emerged that the TDO in Oct was Darshan Patel. He was recently arrested for the Rs 71 crore NREGA scam. The chief judicial magistrate's court in Dahod on Thursday granted bail to Kiran and his elder brother Balwant Khabad in connection with the offence registered regarding the NREGA scam earlier. The court gave its order on Wednesday, but the investigating officer in the case wanted to bring some more material to the notice of the court and filed an application for it. The court held a long hearing on Thursday and granted bail to Balwant and Kiran. The brothers were brought out of Dahod jail in the evening, and a local crime branch (LCB) team present outside took Kiran into custody. It later transpired that an offence was registered on Thursday regarding the NREGA scam in Lavariya, and Kiran's name cropped up during investigations.
Time of India
28-05-2025
- Time of India
Dahod court grants bail to minister's sons in MNREGA scam
Vadodara: The Dahod chief judicial magistrate's court on Wednesday granted bail to Balwant Khabad and Kiran Khabad, sons of minister of state for agriculture and panchayat Bachu Khabad, in connection with the ongoing MNREGA scam. However, the court is expected to deliver the final verdict on Thursday after considering additional material presented by the investigating officer (IO). Balwant and Kiran, linked to two firms that supplied materials for MNREGA works without securing official contracts, were arrested on May 17 and May 19 respectively. Both were remanded to judicial custody before filing their bail applications last week. While the court granted bail on Wednesday, the IO requested more time to submit further evidence. The hearing will continue on Thursday before the court issues its final decision. The scam, unearthed in a probe by District Rural Development Authority (DRDA), involved illegible firms being given orders for the supply of materials for MNREGA works.
