Jaipur:

The crime branch of Delhi Police has again summoned former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot’s ex-OSD Lokesh Sharma for interrogation in connection with a phone tapping case registered by Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.

The interrogation this time could be a cause of concern for Ashok Gehlot as his former officer on special duty (OSD) has publicly alleged that the clip of an alleged telephone conversation between Mr Shekhawat and some Congress leaders on “toppling” the then Congress government in 2020 was given to him by Gehlot himself.

Mr Sharma’s claim marked a shift from his previous stand that he had got three clips from social media and forwarded those to news organisations.

After this public disclosure, it is for the first time that the Delhi Police has summoned him. He was last summoned in October last year, when the Congress was in power in the state.

A team of the crime branch arrived in Jaipur and served the notice to Mr Sharma on Sunday, directing him to appear before the branch at 11 am on September 25.

Earlier, the branch had been sending him notices via email.

Mr Sharma confirmed that he has received the notice and will be appearing to join the investigation on the said date and time.

“I will be appearing before the crime branch as directed in the notice,” he said.

After voting for two-phase Lok Sabha elections in Rajasthan was over in April this year, Mr Sharma had accused Gehlot of hatching a conspiracy to tarnish the image of his then deputy Sachin Pilot and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, keeping phones of Pilot and other Congress leaders on surveillance, being involved in the REET paper leak and keeping the party high command in the dark.

The former OSD had said that he would be giving the evidence that he possessed regarding his claim to the investigating agency if sought.

However, Mr Gehlot had refused the allegations.

The phone-tapping controversy erupted in July 2020 during a political crisis when the Congress was running the Rajasthan government.

Clips of alleged telephonic conversations between Mr Shekhawat and Congress leaders surfaced amid a rebellion against Ashok Gehlot by Pilot and 18 party MLAs supporting him.

Mr Sharma had circulated the clips purportedly containing conversations about “toppling” the Congress government.

In March 2021, the Delhi Police registered an FIR against Mr Sharma on charges of criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust and unlawfully intercepting telephonic conversations on a complaint by Mr Shekhawat.

Mr Sharma has appeared before the crime branch for questioning five times with the last questioning being on October 10 last year.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Jaipur:

Kirodi Lal Meena, the Rajasthan BJP MLA who recently resigned as a state minister, on Wednesday handed over ‘evidence’ of paper leak in the recruitment examination conducted by the Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) to the Special Operations Group (SOG) ADG V.K. Singh.

Saying the evidence will help the SOG catch the ‘big fish’, Mr Meena alleged that due to the role of many SOG officials, the paper leak accused could not be exposed so far.

Levelling allegations against some SOG officials and the RPSC Chairman, Mr Meena threatened to sit on a ‘Satyagraha’ if suitable action is not taken against the guilty within 15 days.

Talking to mediapersons, Mr Meena said, “The prime accused Udaram and Suresh Dhaka (masterminds behind senior teacher recruitment paper leak) are treasure troves of information, whose arrests should be made as soon as possible.”

He also accused RPSC Chairman Sanjay Shrotriya of practising irregularities, alleging that he handed over the examination of answer sheets to private people.

“SOG officials who played with the future of the youth of Rajasthan should be arrested. The leaders who gave them instructions should also be brought to the book,” Mr Meena said.

“The previous government helped the paper leak mafia flourish, and some SOG officials supported them. I have given the names of those SOG officials to the ADG,” he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Jaipur:

Kirodi Lal Meena, the Rajasthan BJP MLA who recently resigned as a state minister, on Wednesday handed over ‘evidence’ of paper leak in the recruitment examination conducted by the Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) to the Special Operations Group (SOG) ADG V.K. Singh.

Saying the evidence will help the SOG catch the ‘big fish’, Mr Meena alleged that due to the role of many SOG officials, the paper leak accused could not be exposed so far.

Levelling allegations against some SOG officials and the RPSC Chairman, Mr Meena threatened to sit on a ‘Satyagraha’ if suitable action is not taken against the guilty within 15 days.

Talking to mediapersons, Mr Meena said, “The prime accused Udaram and Suresh Dhaka (masterminds behind senior teacher recruitment paper leak) are treasure troves of information, whose arrests should be made as soon as possible.”

He also accused RPSC Chairman Sanjay Shrotriya of practising irregularities, alleging that he handed over the examination of answer sheets to private people.

“SOG officials who played with the future of the youth of Rajasthan should be arrested. The leaders who gave them instructions should also be brought to the book,” Mr Meena said.

“The previous government helped the paper leak mafia flourish, and some SOG officials supported them. I have given the names of those SOG officials to the ADG,” he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The Enforcement Directorate on Saturday said it has seized Rs 12 lakh in cash along with “incriminating” documents after conducting raids in connection with an alleged recruitment exam paper leak case in Rajasthan.

The fresh searches were undertaken Friday at seven residential premises of Congress leader Dinesh Khodania, Rashtriya Loktantrik Party leader Spurdha Chaudhary, Ashok Kumar Jain, Suresh Dhaka and others over the alleged leak of senior teacher second grade competitive examination 2022 paper, the agency said in a statement.

Dinesh Khodaniya alleged the agency’s action was politically motivated.

He also said he will soon file a defamation case against Rajya Sabha MP Kirodi Lal Meena for allegedly levelling false allegations. He said he doesn’t have links with the arrested Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) member Babulal Katara, who has been arrested in this case.

The money laundering case stems from FIRs filed by the Rajasthan Police against the accused including a person named Bhupendra Saran, who was arrested by the ED in this case recently.

The accused “in connivance with each other leaked the question paper of General Knowledge of senior teacher grade II competitive examination, 2022 which was scheduled to be conducted by RPSC (Rajasthan public service commission) on 21.12.2022, 22.12.2022 and 24.12.2022 and provided it to appearing candidates for the consideration amount of Rs 8-10 lakh per candidate.” Former RPSC member Babulal Katara, a person named Anil Kumar Meena were also arrested in this case earlier by the ED.

It had first raided multiple locations in Rajasthan as part of this investigation in June. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)