Jal Jeevan scam: Subodh Agarwal sent to 14-day judicial custody

A court here on Wednesday sent retired IAS officer Subodh Agarwal, who was arrested in connection with the alleged Rs 960-crore Jal Jeevan Mission scam, to 14-day judicial custody.

Agarwal was arrested on April 10 and was under police custody. Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) produced him before an ACB court on completion of the remand period.

The court rejected ACB’s request for police custody and remanded Agarwal to judicial custody.

Talking to reporters outside the court, Agarwal’s lawyer Vedant Sharma claimed that four tenders came during Agarwal’s tenure, while 33 tenders were related to the tenure of his predecessor and should be investigated. A team from the ACB arrested Agarwal on Thursday last week in connection with the case.

Some firms had allegedly secured tenders by submitting forged completion certificates in connivance with officers.

Last month, the ACB arrested nine persons, including senior engineers and retired officials, in connection with the scam. Earlier, the ACB had arrested contractors.