Dahod, Jul 8 (PTI) A Gujarat minister's son, arrested by police in connection with a Rs 71 crore 'scam' inked to rural jobs scheme MGNREGA, was on Tuesday granted regular bail with a set of conditions by a court in Dahod district.
Additional Sessions Judge Sandipsinh Dodiya ordered the release of accused Balvantsinh Khabad, the son of BJP minister Bachubhai Khabad, on regular bail on a surety bond of Rs 15,000.
The FIR against Balvantsinh Khabad, arrested in mid-May, was registered at the Dahod 'B' division police station.
The court imposed conditions on the accused, currently lodged in Dahod sub-jail, and asked him not to leave India without its permission and surrender his passport within seven days.
The court said there was no need to keep the applicant under custody as long as he cooperates with the investigation. The judge also took into consideration his alleged role in the case, the quantum of punishment he faces, if convicted, and the fact that the matter will be tried by a Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) court.
Balvantsinh Khabad was arrested along with his brother Kiran after the Dahod police registered an FIR of cheating, forgery and breach of trust against some persons, including government employees, following the unearthing of a Rs 71 crore scam by the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA).
According to police, Balvantsinh and Kiran Khabad are proprietors of agencies implicated in fraudulent MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) projects carried out in Devgadh Baria and Dhanpur talukas of Dahod district.
As per the FIR, the duo had not completed the assigned work or supplied the required materials between 2021 and 2024, but claimed payments by submitting bogus work completion certificates and forged documents.
The Centre-sponsored scheme is aimed at enhancing the livelihood security of villagers by providing at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.