Jaipur, May 22: The Rajasthan High Court has granted interim relief to suspended RAS officer Pinky Meena by staying her suspension order related to a bribery case connected to the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway project.
This decision was made by a bench led by Justice Sudesh Bansal on Thursday. The court noted that it had previously suspended another accused officer, RAS officer Pushkar Mittal, under similar circumstances, establishing a precedent for Meena’s case.
The court remarked that the Suspension Review Committee failed to provide substantial reasons for continuing Meena’s suspension. It highlighted that the petitioner has been suspended since January 15, 2021, and after nearly five years, a departmental chargesheet has finally been issued against her. To maintain fairness, the court decided to stay the suspension order.
Representing the petitioner, lawyers Vipul Singhvi and Aadesh Arora argued that suspension under service law is a temporary and precautionary measure to ensure that the accused does not influence the investigation. They contended that keeping an officer suspended for over five and a half years effectively amounts to punishment, which contradicts the principles of service jurisprudence.
The lawyers further stated that the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) had already completed its investigation, filed the chargesheet, and the state government had granted permission to proceed with the case. Thus, there was no possibility of the officer influencing witnesses or tampering with evidence.
This case dates back to January 2021 and involves alleged bribery during the construction of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway in Dausa district, Rajasthan. According to the ACB, representatives linked to the expressway project complained that local administrative officials were demanding bribes to remove obstacles related to land acquisition and construction work.
On January 13, 2021, the ACB arrested Pinky Meena, who was serving as the SDM of Bandikui at the time. She was allegedly accused of soliciting a bribe of 1 million rupees. Another officer, Pushkar Mittal, who was the SDM of Dausa at that time, was also arrested for allegedly demanding a bribe of 500,000 rupees.
Meena’s arrest garnered significant media attention as it occurred just days before her wedding. The High Court had previously granted her interim bail to participate in wedding ceremonies, after which she surrendered to authorities. Subsequently, the ACB completed its investigation, filed a charge sheet in court, and received prosecution approval from the state government against the accused officers.
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