Arrest warrant issued against IAS Ashok Singhvi, 7 others

Jaipur: A special court for Enforcement directorate (ED) cases in Jaipur has issued arrest warrant against IAS officer Ashok Singhvi and seven others in connection with a money laundering case being investigated by ED.  Seven others who will be served arrest warrants include then additional mining director Pankaj Gehlot, Pushkar Raj, Shyam Sundar Singhavi, Dhirendra Singh, Tamanna Begum and Mohammed Rashid.

Special public prosecutor said that the court issued the orders of summoning the eight persons with arrest warrants in January. Jaipur police commissioner has been directed by the court to serve the warrant on Singhvi, while the Chittorgarh SP has been asked to serve the warrant on Mohammed Rashid and Tamanna. Warrants on other persons will be served by Udaipur SP.

ED had launched an investigation after the names of Singhvi and others cropped in a mining scam case. A separate money laundering case was registered by ED.

Some of these persons had been arrested by Rajasthan ACB when the scam came to light following a trap. Sighavi had been arrested and then released on bail.

Ashok Singhvi  was Principal Secretary (Mines) when he was arrested by ACB in 2015 in an alleged case of graft involving Rs 2.55 crore. He was detained along with five persons including two senior officers of his department were arrested in connection with the case in Udaipur and Bhilwara.

Before his arrest, the ACB conducted three raids in Udaipur and Bhilwara and allegedly seized total illicit cash of Rs.3.82 crore. Rs. 2.55 crore (out of the total seizure) was to be delivered allegedly to Singhvi and other officers, according to ACB officials.

The bribe amount of Rs. 2.55 crore was allegedly taken from Chittorgarh-based mines owner Sher Khan for allowing him to restart operations in his mines, which were closed by the mines department.