JAIPUR: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday said that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had summoned his son Vaibhav Gehlot.
“Date 25/10/23 Congress launches guarantees for women of Rajasthan. Date 26/10/23 ED raid on Rajasthan Congress President Govind Singh Ji Dotasara, Summons to my son Vaibhav Gehlot to appear in ED. Now you can understand what I have been saying that ED’s Red Rose is happening inside Rajasthan because BJP does not want that women, farmers and poor in Rajasthan should get the benefit of the guarantees given by Congress”, Gehlot posted on social media app X.
The ED also conducted raids on Rajasthan Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasara and MLA Om Prakash Hudla in connection with the Senior Teacher 2nd Grade Competitive Examination, 2022 paper leak case. The raids were carried out at the official residence of Dotasara at Civil Lines in Rajasthan’s Jaipur.
The central probe agency has also summoned Ashok Gehlot’s son and Congress leader Vaibhav Gehlot in connection with the paper leak case. The Enforcement Directorate today also conducted search operations at nearly a dozen locations in Rajasthan in connection with the paper leak case.
The raids that come even as the state is gearing up to go to the polls on November 25, has taken a political tone with Chief Minister Gehlot calling an urgent news conference to address the issue later today.
Earlier this month, the ED conducted search operations at residential premises of Dinesh Khodania, Ashok Kumar Jain, Spurdha Chaudhary, Suresh Dhaka and other individuals in the paper leaks case.
The searches were carried out under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), officials said adding that various incriminating documents, copies of sale deeds of various properties, electronic devices and cash amounting to Rs 24 lakh were seized in the operation.
“The ED has carried out search operations under PMLA, 2002 on 13.10.2023 at 07 residential premises of Dinesh Khodania, Ashok Kumar Jain, Spurdha Chaudhary, Suresh Dhaka and others in Senior Teacher 2nd Grade Competitive Examination, 2022 Paper Leak case. During the search operations, various incriminating documents, copies of sale deeds of various properties, electronic devices and INR 24 Lakh were recovered and seized,” the ED said in a post on ‘X’.
The ED in September arrested Babulal Katara, a member of the Rajasthan Public Service Commission and Anil Kumar Meena in the alleged paper leak case in Rajasthan under the provisions of PMLA. Katara and Meena were produced before a special PMLA court in Jaipur, which granted ED custody for a period of three days.
The ED claimed that the investigation revealed that Katara leaked the general knowledge question paper of the Senior Teacher Grade II Competitive Examination, 2022 which was to be conducted on December 21, December 22 and December 24, 2022, at various places in Rajasthan.
The agency alleged that Katara sold the leaked question papers to Anil Kumar Meena. Further, Meena supplied the said leaked papers to Bhupendra Saran, Suresh Dhaka, and other members of a syndicate, which was further provided to candidates for the consideration amount of Rs 8 to Rs 10 lakh per candidate.
In early June this year, ED conducted searches at 15 premises of accused persons, resulting in the recovery of incriminating documents and digital records. The enforcement agency has also provisionally attached properties, both movable and immovable properties, worth approximately Rs 3.11 crore of Babulal Katara, Anil Meena and “others”. (ANI)