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Rajasthan ACB Arrests Ex-IAS Subodh Agarwal in Jal Jeevan Mission Probe

The arrest signals a deeper push to test claims of forged certificates that skewed tenders worth hundreds of crores.

Overview

  • Agarwal, who had evaded arrest for weeks after February warrants, was detained in New Delhi on Thursday and taken to Jaipur for questioning.
  • ACB leaders say about 10 people have been held so far as courts issue standing warrants for others and the bureau moves to attach properties and auction vehicles.
  • Investigators allege two firms, Ganpati Tubewell and Shyam Tubewell, used forged IRCON completion certificates to win Jal Jeevan Mission work worth about Rs 960 crore.
  • IRCON’s Bengaluru office told a Rajasthan engineering official the certificates were fake when he sought verification, according to case details shared by the ACB.
  • The bureau also claims a rule that required a site visit certificate on large PHED tenders exposed bidder identities and drove 30–40% higher prices on roughly Rs 20,000 crore of projects.