Rajasthan police on Tuesday filed an FIR naming former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, former Union Minister Sachin Pilot and several others over allegations of financial irregularities to the tune of Rs.2.56 crores in operating '108' ambulance service during the previous Congress regime.
Former state health minister A A Khan, Karti Chidambaram, son of former Union Minister P Chidambaram and Ravi Krishna, son of former Union Minister Vayalar Ravi, Sweta Mangal, then CEO of Ziqitza Healthcare, Shaffi Mather, former Economic Advisor to Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and the Director of NRHM also figured in the FIR, investigating officer Sawant Singh told reporters.
The FIR was filed on the basis of a probe into a complaint by former Jaipur Municipal Corporation Mayor Pankaj Joshi in the Ashok Nagar police station in Jaipur which was lodged on July 31 last year.
The complaint was filed against the co-founder of Ziqitza Healthcare Krishna, directors Pilot (now PCC President), Karti, Gehlot, Khan, Mangal, Mather and the Director NRHM under sections 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine forged material) and 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC.
The case has been referred to CB CID for investigation as it involves elected representatives, including Gehlot who is an MLA, Singh said.
Reacting to the development, Gehlot said such decisions (of awarding a tender) were not taken at the chief-ministerial level but Pilot dubbed the allegations defamatory. He described the action by the BJP government as malicious and motivated.
Others could not be reach for their comments.
Joshi, in his complaint, had alleged that Gehlot and Khan favoured Ziqitza healthcare company in awarding tender for operating 108 service in the state from 2010-11 and the company was overpaid.
He alleged that the company was hired in a non-transparent manner to provide the service under National Rural Health Mission due to its strong political connections.
"After investigating the complaint filed last year, an FIR was registered on Tuesday. Evidence that included audit of records of the medical department was collected during the investigation before lodging the case," Singh said.
"Initial investigation reveals that the company committed financial irregularities to the tune of Rs.2.56 crores through fake bills and records," he said.
The BJP, when it was in opposition, had raised the issue in the assembly which was rejected by the previous Congress government.
Pilot demanded that the probe, if at all required, should be carried out by an independent agency outside the state government or by a commission chaired by a sitting judge of High Court.
He said the probe should not be done by the state police or a state agency who, he accused, were acting under the orders of the state government to settle political scores.
"If a free and fair inquiry that I am demanding finds the allegations against me unsubstantiated, Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, who is trying to settle political scores, should take full responsibility and resign from her post and face the legal and political consequences of misusing the state machinery for a malicious investigation," Pilot said.
"Such defamatory and unsubstantiated claims had been made earlier by BJP leader Kirit Somaiya as well in 2012 for which a legal notice was served upon him. The present actions of the state government are attempts to malign and intimidate the Congress leadership," he said.
A state Congress spokesperson termed the development a political vendetta.?
"It is nothing but political vendetta by the BJP government in Rajasthan," spokesperson Archana Sharma said.
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