MP IAS officers' residences raided: Arvind Joshi, MA Khan in IT net

The level of corruption in Madhya Pradesh is staggering and it was proved once again when Income Tax department raided the houses of senior IAS officers in Bhopal.

Arvind Joshi, his wife Tinoo Joshi, retired IAS officer MA Khan and Road Development Corporation officer Deepak Asai are just a few names. Raids started on Thursday morning and the officers' houses were sealed.

Machines were installed to count the currency notes and still it took hours as the moolah was to the tune of crores at home alone. Foreign currency worth Rs 25 lakh was also found at the residence at 74 bungalow.

Even after investments and naming property after relatives, crores were found at home. One can imagine who is the real culprit in this country. There are reports of hawala transaction also other than bureaucrat-businessman nexus.

The raids can answer a lot of questions that haunt the common man. Now we all know where does the money goes and who keeps this country poor. Former DGP HM Joshi's house in Arera Colony was raided also. He is Arvind Joshi's father.

Their accounts and lockers are being examined. The action must be hailed as the state is seriously afflicted with the cancer of corruption. Bureaucracy remained unchecked but the IT has swung into action recently.

The rais will certainly put fear into the minds of officers who think that getting bribes is their birthright. In Lokayukta raids, senior officers were not touched. It is hoped that the IT department would continue its operation and also catch other IAS, IPS & IFS officers involved in corruption.

IAS officer sentenced to two years imprisonment

A Madhya Pradesh bureaucrat was on Thursday sentenced to two years of imprisonment by a local court in Bhopal in a five year old corruption case. This is the probably the first incident of an IAS convicted in a corruption case in Madhya Pradesh.

Ramesh Thete, an officer of Indian Administrative Service (IAS) was caught while taking a bribe of Rs 1 lakh way back in February 2002. Thete was then posted as Director (Employment and Training) and was caught red-handed while accepting Rs 1 lakh bribe from NR Borle, the principal of an industrial training school.

The anti-corruption agency, Lokayukta, had caught him and registered case under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The Special police establishment Lokayukta prepared a charge sheet against him. Congress government had revoked his suspension.

But subsequently the charge sheet was present in the court. Judge SK Raghuvanshi held him guilty of corruption and sentenced him to 2 years of imprisonment apart from fine. Thete said that he will appeal against the decision in the High Court.

Madhya Pradesh Lokayukta in high-mode

Madhya Pradesh Lokayukta is in a high-mode. Buoyed by the Supreme Court decision in Prakash Singh Badal case, the Lokayukta police presented charge sheet agaisnt BJP State minister Jugal Kishor Bagri and MP Ganesh Singh for irregularities in the appointment of Shikshakarmis.

Now it plans to charge-sheet the bureaucrats as well. Sources say that IAS Vinod Semwal is next in the line. More chargesheets would follow soon. Earlier, the state government did not permit the Lokayukta to present charge sheet. However, with the Supreme Court verdict, the situation has changed.

Besides, cases against high-profile officials are also being registered. The latest being a case against Chhattisgarh IG Mukesh Gupta. Gupta, the then IG Ujjain, had made phone calls costing Rs 1.25 lakh, in a week. He had later paid the bills but the then DGP SC Tripathi had deemed it fit as case of 'income disproportionate to known sources of earnings'. Now the Lokayukta has booked Gupta, who is IG (Home Guards) at Chhattisgarh.

The website of Lokayukta is www.mplokayukt.nic.in