ACB initiates probe against IAS Neeraj K Pawan

Jaipur: After lodging an FIR in a corruption case related to the Rajasthan Skill and Livelihoods Development Corporation (RSLDC), the state anti-corruption bureau has initiated an investigation against IAS officer Neeraj K Pawan. The IAS officer and eight others were named in the FIR registered on Wednesday. The ACB has sent Neeraj’s phone for a forensic examination. Sources didn’t rule out the possibility that he would be interrogated soon.

Neeraj K Pawan is posted as the chairman of RSLDC. His subordinate IAS officer in the department – Pradeep Gawde – posted as MD – was also named in the FIR. Others include Rahul Kumar Garg, scheme coordinator Ashok Sangwan, RAS officer Kartar Singh, Amit Sharma, Gajendra Sharma, BVG India employee Dinesh and Balaji Trading Partner employee Mukesh.  

Investigations in three other cases of misuse of office and corruption are already pending against Neeraj K Pawan with the ACB. The ACB has registered a total of four cases against the IAS officer in the past 5 years.

The latest case pertains to the arrest of two senior RSLDC officials for taking Rs 5 lakh bribe to clear pending bills worth Rs 1.5 crore of a private company four days ago. The company had undertaken work under the skill development scheme. The officials demanded the bribe to clear the bills as well as refund the security amount deposited, and to remove the firm from the black list.