Raj IAS officer Ashok Singhvi, 7 others summoned with arrest warrant in mining scam

Jaipur: A court has summoned eight people including senior IAS officer – currently deputed as additional chief secretary Ashok Singhvi with an arrest warrant in connection with a mining scam. Enforcement directorate (ED) had filed a complaint in the court.

The court took cognizance of the complaint and summoned Singhvi and others including then additional director of the mining department in Rajasthan Pankaj Gehlot, then superintendent engineer Pushkar Raj Ameta, CA Shyam Sundar Singhavi, Rashid Shekh, Dhirendra alias Chintu, minor Sher Khan’s wife Tamanna Begum and Sanjay Sethi.

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. ED launched an investigation on the basis of the FIR lodged by the Rajasthan ACB.

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.