ACB FIR claims Rajasthan govt official’s wife received salary for no work

For almost six years, the wife of a senior Rajasthan government officer reportedly drew a monthly salary of around ₹1.6 lakh and even received periodic performance reviews — despite never having done any actual work. Investigators later discovered that she was shown as an employee of two private companies, and the payments were kickbacks for her husband.

According to the Rajasthan Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), a case has been registered against two senior officials of the state’s Information Technology Department for allegedly abusing their official positions and accepting bribes through this bogus employment setup. The officials are suspected of having earned at least ₹90 lakh in illegal payments.

The FIR, which was lodged following a complaint by advocate T. N. Sharma, names Pradyuman Dixit, Joint Director in the Department of Information Technology and Communication, and Rakesh Kumar Kamlesh, the department’s former Deputy Director. The two are accused of extending undue favours to certain private firms in the tendering process.

In exchange, the companies allegedly placed Dixit’s wife, Poonam Dixit, on their payroll and paid her a regular salary even though she never reported for work or performed any duties. The FIR notes that Pradyuman Dixit also holds the position of Joint Director at RajComp Info Services Limited, the Indian Express reported.

The case reportedly came to light after advocate T. N. Sharma approached the Rajasthan High Court in Jaipur, prompting the court to direct an inquiry into his allegations. Following the verification process, the state Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) initiated a preliminary investigation.

During the probe, investigators are said to have tracked multiple bank accounts connected to Poonam Dixit’s PAN. Some of these accounts were reportedly held jointly with her husband, while others appeared to have been opened under different names. Officials stated that the ACB collected witness statements and financial documents from the two private companies involved.

According to the FIR, Pradyuman Dixit is accused of systematically misusing his official authority to receive bribes under the guise of his wife’s salary and consultancy fees.

The inquiry also allegedly implicated Rakesh Kumar Kamlesh, who joined the department as a programmer in 2013 and was later promoted to Deputy Director (ACP) in 2021–22. Investigators claim that Kamlesh and Dixit jointly prepared and approved falsified Monthly Performance Reports (MPRs) for Poonam Dixit between 2019 and 2020, despite her never being present or performing any work. When questioned, both officials reportedly failed to provide explanations or supporting records for these transactions.

Documents from company records, bank statements, and departmental files allegedly indicated that Poonam Dixit was shown as working for two companies at the same time and also claimed to be engaged in freelance assignments during the same period. However, investigators reportedly found no evidence of any actual work performed.

After a detailed review of the material, the Rajasthan Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) filed an FIR on October 17, 2025, in Jaipur, invoking provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018) along with relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Neeraj Gurnani, who is handling the investigation, told *The Indian Express* that he had recently taken charge of the case and was currently examining the available records and data. He added that it would be premature to comment on the findings while the inquiry was still underway.

Efforts to reach Pradyuman Dixit and representatives of the two private companies for their response were unsuccessful, as calls and messages reportedly went unanswered.