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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.
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Another case under MGNREGA ‘scam': Balvantsinh Khabad sent to five days police custody
A local court in Dahod on Monday remanded Balvantsinh Khabad — the older son of Gujarat Minister of State for Panchayat, Bachubhai Khabad — to five days in police custody following his re-arrest on Sunday in a fresh case of alleged irregularities in the the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in district's Dhanpur taluka. On Monday, the Dahod district police sought 14 days remand of Balvantsinh, citing that records of the payments as well as involvement of government officials, who favoured the agency run by the accused, needed to be probed into. Dahod Deputy Superintendent of Police Jagdishsinh Bhandari told The Indian Express, 'We had sought a remand of 14 days on various grounds but the court has granted five days in police custody until Friday. We also have Kiran Khabad in custody until Friday.' Balvantsinh's arrest on Sunday had come just three days after the Dahod Sessions court on Thursday had upheld the regular bail granted to the two brothers in the first case filed by the District Rural Development Authority (DRDA) of an alleged MGNREGA scam worth Rs 71 crore. While Kiran was re-arrested minutes after being released from judicial custody on Thursday, in a second FIR lodged in connection with irregularities in Lavaria village of Devgadh Baria taluka, Balvantsinh's arrest has come in a third FIR lodged by the DRDA in case of incomplete projects in Bhanpur village in Dhanpur taluka of the district. In the new case against Balvantsinh, the police is probing an irregularity of approximately Rs 33 lakh for about 11 incomplete MGNREGA works that have been found in Bhanpur village of Dhanpur taluka. Bhandari added that no fresh arrests have been made in any of the three FIRs registered so far. A total of 14 persons have been arrested in the case, including the then Taluka Development Officer (TDO) of Devgadh Baria, Darshan Patel, the current Deputy District Development Officer (DDO) of Dahod Rasik Rathwa, who was then the TDO of Dhanpur taluka as well as Dilip Chauhan, a former Assistant Programme Officer (APO) — and a distant relative of the Khabads. Then Assistant Programme Officer of Dhanpur Bhavesh Rathod, MIS operator Sanjay Baria and the owner of other agencies that supplied materials — Parth Baria and Jagdish Baria — are among the 14 accused to be arrested so far. Kiran and Balvantsinh are the only accused to have been arrested in more than one FIR so far.
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
24-05-2025
- Time of India
NREGA scam: Four sent to judicial custody
Vadodara: Four accused person, including the sons of Gujarat minister of state for agriculture and panchayats, Bachu Khabad, held in the NREGA scam, were sent to judicial custody by a Dahod court on Wednesday and Thursday after their police custody ended. Khabad's elder son, Balwant, and taluka development officer (TDO) Darshit Patel, who was earlier posted in Dahod district, were presented in court on Wednesday after their remand ended. Both were sent to judicial custody by the court. On Thursday, the minister's younger son, Kiran, and in-charge deputy district development officer, Rasik Rathwa, were presented in court by police after their remand period ended. Both were sent to judicial custody. So far, 14 persons have been arrested in connection with the scam worth Rs 71 crore, and nine of them are in judicial custody. Agencies that did not bag contracts for supplying material for NREGA works were given orders, and their bills were paid. It also came to light that works taken up using this material remained incomplete. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Brother's Day wishes , messages and quotes !
