Kiran Khabad, son of Gujarat’s Minister of State for Panchayat and Agriculture, Bachubhai Khabad, was re-arrested — not too long after securing bail — in a fresh FIR linked to yet another MGNREGA scam.
Kiran and his brother Balvantsinh were initially arrested for their alleged role in a Rs 71-crore scam involving public works under MGNREGA across Devgadh Baria and Dhanpur, where their firms were accused of illegally supplying materials for government projects without proper contracts or execution responsibilities.
The new FIR, filed by the District Rural Development Authority (DRDA), alleges that Kiran’s agency again supplied materials without authorisation for 21 out of 79 incomplete projects in Lavaria village, even as payments had already been made.
On Wednesday, a Sessions court had granted regular bail to both brothers, rejecting the police’s attempt to hold them in custody. The court imposed a Rs 50,000 bond each and barred them from entering Dahod district during the investigation. However, moments after Kiran walked out of Dahod sub-jail yesterday evening, he was picked up again by the Local Crime Branch to process his arrest under the new FIR, while Balvantsinh was ordered to leave the district.
Dahod District Superintendent of Police Dr Rajdeepsinh Zala confirmed the development.
A total of 14 people have been arrested so far in connection with the original scam. Advocate AR Chauhan, representing the Khabad brothers, declined to comment on the fresh FIR but earlier told this newspaper, “The Sessions court has upheld the regular bail granted to Balvantsinh and Kiran Khabad on Wednesday… The police application was rejected. They will comply with the conditions.
Chauhan had also argued that the brothers’ firms merely supplied materials and were not responsible for ensuring the completion of the works. He maintained that liability could not be pinned on them for unfinished projects under the MGNREGA scheme.
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