AHMEDABAD: Have you ever heard of a Gujarat Public Service Commission (GPSC) aspirant taking a meeting on behalf of an IAS officer? This allegedly happened in Surendranagar district collectorate where a man, who originally hails from Morbi, chaired a meeting on a land ceiling dispute on behalf of the then collector, Kankipati Rajesh.
Known as HP, the man who introduces himself as the nephew of an influential BJP leader from the Kadva Patidar community, is now under CBI radar for his unscrupulous financial transactions with the 2011-batch IAS officer, said an officer with the central investigative agency. The CBI officer told TOI, "During preliminary questioning, HP was called for questioning regarding five transactions of Rs 5 lakh each that he had allegedly paid into Rajesh's account."
The CBI officer added, "HP first met K Rajesh when the latter was posted as the assistant district collector of Morbi. They soon developed a camaraderie. When Rajesh was transferred to Surat as the district development officer, HP accompanied him to the diamond city. When Rajesh was appointed district collector of Surat, HP would stay at Rajesh' house."
Sources claimed that HP would often say that though he was still preparing for GPSC exams, he always "felt like he was a collector".
A source in the Surendranagar collectorate alleged, "HP has chaired multiple meetings at the collectorate. He would be seated in the collector's chair while Rajesh and deputy mamlatdar, Jayanti Golvadia, would sit next to him as if they were his juniors. Prant officers were also part of the meeting regarding the land ceiling dispute that HP had chaired."
Rajesh, 36, who was the Surendranagar collector from 2018 to 2021, is currently posted as the joint secretary in the general administration department in Gandhinagar.
The CBI had conducted searches at Rajesh's residence, office and other premises in Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad in Gujarat as well as his native place in Rajahmundry of Andhra Pradesh late on Thursday after a complaint was registered against the officer for financial irregularities related to land and arms licence-related applications during his tenure as Surendranagar district collector. The CBI has also arrested a middleman from Surat who allegedly used to collect bribes for Rajesh. Later, the CBI filed an FIR against K Rajesh and alleged middleman, Rafiq Memon, under the charges of forgery, criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence act along with the charges under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Information Technology Act.
