Jaipur mayor suspended following husband's bribery arrest
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Jaipur: The Rajasthan government took swift action and suspended Jaipur Heritage Municipal Corporation Mayor Munesh Gurjar after her husband, Sushil Gurjar, was arrested by the state's Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 2 lakh in exchange for issuing a land lease.
Munesh Gurjar has also been suspended from her civic body seat, Ward Number 43, in Jaipur's heritage corporation.
The arrest occurred at the mayor's residence, where her husband was caught accepting the bribe, and a substantial amount of Rs 40 lakh in cash was recovered from the premises. Due to the circumstances surrounding the arrest, the government believes that Mayor Munesh Gurjar's involvement could potentially influence the investigation in the case, leading to her suspension.
In addition to Sushil Gurjar, two others were also arrested by the ACB in connection with the bribery case. The authorities plan to question them over the course of two days to further investigate the matter.
The bribery allegations against Sushil Gurjar came to light after a complaint was filed with the police, stating that he, along with his aides Narayan Singh and Anil Dubey, had demanded Rs 2 lakh from the complainant in exchange for expediting the approval of a lease application for a plot of land. Acting upon the complaint, officials set up a trap and arrested the suspects.
During a subsequent search at Sushil Gurjar's residence, officials discovered over Rs 40 lakh in cash, while an additional Rs 8 lakh in cash was found at Narayan Singh's home. The large sum of cash prompted officials to use a counting machine from the bank to accurately tally the notes.
This incident comes as a major embarrassment for the Congress party, especially in light of the recent "Red Diary" controversy. With the upcoming elections, the party is facing mounting challenges and must now address the fallout from this corruption case involving the mayor's husband.
The swift suspension of the mayor highlighted the government's commitment to taking decisive action against corruption and sends a strong message that no one is above the law, regardless of their position or association.