An ACB Special Court here on Friday remanded retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Subodh Agarwal, an accused in the ₹960-crore Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) scam in Rajasthan, to ACB custody till April 13.
The accused former bureaucrat, who was arrested in Delhi yesterday and subsequently brought here, was produced before the trial court, which sent him to police custody until April 13.
The probing agency, Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), sought a five-day police remand for the accused, citing the need for detailed interrogation.
However, the defence counsel opposed the prosecution’s demand, submitting that the investigation had already been conducted with about a dozen accused. “Neither was Agarwal’s arrest required for the trial in the case, nor were the accused or his counsel informed of the reasons for his arrest,” the defence argued.
Agarwal pleaded innocence before the court. The court was informed that four tenders were finalised during his tenure as head of the department, none of which reported financial irregularities. However, there were issues in one tender, which he had put on hold and had also ordered the lodging of an FIR in that connection.
Regarding the circumstances of his arrest, Agarwal told his lawyers, “Neither did I surrender nor was I brought forcibly by the police; I have come voluntarily with the intent to cooperate in the case.”
As many as 18 persons have been named as accused in the scam, in which forged documentation and transactions involving funds of over ₹979 crore have so far been identified.
Of the 18 accused, 11 are in custody, three are still untraced against whom standing warrants have been issued, and four others have secured immunity from arrest from the court.