Minister among five charged by Raj anti-corruption court in 18-yr-old case

A special court dealing with anti-corruption cases in Rajasthan's Jaipur region has formally charged five individuals, including Urban Development and Housing (UDH) Minister Jhabar Singh Kharra and former development officer Ummed Singh Rao, with corruption amounting to ₹14 lakh rupees and fraud in an 18-year-old case involving the procurement of pipes within the Public Health Engineering Department.

- RAJESH ASNANI

Kharra held the position of the head of Shrimadhopur Panchayat Samiti at the time of the alleged offences

According to Judge Brijesh Kumar of the ACB Court, Jhabar Singh Kharra, along with co-accused Krishna Kumar Gupta and Nehru Lal, allegedly convened a meeting of the Panchayat Committee to propose the supply of drinking water, purportedly as part of a criminal conspiracy.

Subsequently, they are accused of colluding with tender participant Bhairuram to manipulate the tender process, despite Bhairuram's purported lack of authorisation as a PVC pipe contractor and experience in such work.