An Ahmedabad Anti- Corruption Branch (ACB) court on Friday sent senior IAS officer-turned-industrialist Sanjay Gupta to four days remand in a case of irregularities worth `113 crore committed between 2011 and 2013 in Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar Metro Rail project.
Gupta was arrested by CID officials in Gandhinagar on Thursday evening. He was presented before the court on Friday morning with a demand for 14 days police custody. However, after hearing arguments from both the sides, the court granted four days remand to the 1985 batch Gujarat cadre IAS official.
A go-getter IAS officer Gupta, who also had a stint of heading the Gujarat CM’s Office, won acclaim for his successful piloting of the Gujarat State Petroleum Development Corporation from an infant to a livewire company during his tenure as MD from 1998 to 2002. He was also instrumental in establishing an intra-Gujarat gas pipeline company called Gujarat State Petronet.
He was, however, transferred out to the innocuous post of secretary Sangeet Natak Academy immediately after Narendra Modi took over as the Chief Minister in 2001. He subsequently quit the civil service to join the Adani group as CEO. He soon parted ways to launch his own hospitality venture.
The case of alleged irregularities was investigated by additional DGP, State CID (crime) Meera Ramniwas and the arrest was made on the basis of her findings.
The MEGA (Metro for Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad) project was launched by the Gujarat Government in 2010. Gupta, in the capacity of its Chairman, had reportedly awarded questionable contracts to various companies for creating the routes, soil testing and land filling, according to the case made out against him.