Country worried over one-sided action by central probe agencies: Gehlot

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday said the whole country is worried over the ”one-sided” action being taken by central probe agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate.

These agencies should do their work but the rule of law should prevail, he said.

His remarks came days after the ED conducted searches at multiple locations in Rajasthan on Monday in connection with a money laundering investigation into allegations of exam paper leaks for recruitment of teachers in the state.

”They (BJP government) send the ED before elections but we are not afraid. Let the ED do its work, we do not have any problem. The ED, the Income Tax department and the CBI should do their work but the rule of law should prevail,” Gehlot told reporters at the Rajasthan Police headquarters here after holding a meeting to review the law and order in the state.

Chief Secretary Usha Sharma, Director General of Police Umesh Mishra and other senior police officials also attended the meeting.

”Whether it is the CBI, the Income Tax, or the ED, we will welcome them if they work impartially. But you are taking one-sided action and the whole country is worried,” Gehlot said.

He said the state government has been requesting the ED to attach properties of the accused in the Sanjivani Credit Cooperative Society scam but nothing has been done.

Action has been taken against the accused in the paper leak cases in the state and papers are leaked in other states as well, but it is Rajasthan where stern action has been taken, the chief minister said.

The ED raided around three dozen premises in Jaipur, Ajmer, Dungarpur and Barmer as part of its money laundering investigation into allegations of exam paper leaks for recruitment of teachers in the state.

The state has witnessed a few instances where it was alleged that exam question papers for recruitment of teachers were leaked to aspirants, including in 2021 during the hiring of teachers by the state education board and last year in a test conducted by the Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC).

The Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Rajasthan Police, which is investigating the paper leaks, had arrested former RPSC member Babulal Katara, his nephew and driver in April in connection with the senior teacher paper leak case of 2022.

The exam was cancelled after the paper was widely shared on social media before the commencement of the exam.