The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on October 26 raided the premises of Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra and party candidate from Mahua Assembly seat as part of a money laundering investigation into the alleged exam paper leak case in the poll-bound State, official sources said.
The premises of Mr. Dotasra, a former Minister for School Education, in Sikar and Jaipur apart from party candidate from Mahua seat in Dausa, Omprakash Hudla, and some others are being searched, they said.
An armed escort of Central paramilitary force CRPF accompanied the ED teams.
Soon after the searches commenced, Mr. Dotsara wrote “Satyameva Jayate” on X.
Gehlot reacts to ED’s action
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot too posted a message confirming the raids on Dotasra and about a ED summon to his son Vaibhav Gehlot, saying the ED raids are being done everyday in the State “as the BJP does not want that Congress party’s guarantees reach the women, farmers and the poor”. Elections for the 200-member Rajasthan Assembly will be held on November 25.
Mr. Dotasra is the party candidate from Lacchmangarh seat of Sikar against BJP’s Subhash Maharia. He is also the sitting MLA from this seat.
Mr. Hudla is an independent MLA and the Congress has fielded him from the Mahua Assembly seat this time.
Former Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) member Babulal Katara and two other people identified as Anil Kumar Meena and Bhupendra Saran were arrested by the ED in this case. It had first raided multiple locations in Rajasthan as part of this investigation in June. The money laundering case stems from FIRs filed by the Rajasthan Police against the accused.
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,” the ED had said.
