Retired IAS officer Subodh Agarwal’s lawyer, Deepak Chauhan, has withdrawn from the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) scam case just days after filing a petition in the Rajasthan High Court to quash the FIR by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB). Chauhan submitted an application on February 21 to withdraw his power of attorney, leading to the case being delayed until a new counsel is appointed. A lookout notice was issued against Agarwal on February 18 to prevent him from leaving the country amidst the ongoing investigation into alleged irregularities in JJM tenders.
Agarwal claimed in the petition that most tenders were approved by the Finance Committee under then Additional Chief Secretary Sudhansh Pant, not during his tenure. He mentioned that tenders for certain firms were awarded before his term using allegedly fake IRCON certificates. Agarwal emphasized that tenders worth less than 10% of the total value were approved during his tenure, and no payments were released to the accused firms, causing no financial loss to the government.
Additionally, Agarwal highlighted that upon receiving an email from IRCON, he took action by canceling tenders, blacklisting firms, and initiating legal proceedings against an officer. The petition also alleged that the ACB’s actions were influenced by statements from an officer against whom Agarwal had filed an FIR, implying personal animosity.
