Patna: Fresh details have emerged in the corruption case involving jailed IAS officer Sanjeev Hans, with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) alleging that he accepted a bribe of Rs 1 crore from a Mumbai-based real estate company in exchange for influencing a quasi-judicial body’s order.
According to the ED’s prosecution complaint, Hans allegedly used his position as private secretary to the then Union Minister for Consumer Affairs to arrange favourable dates and outcomes in a case pending before the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC). The agency’s findings are based largely on the statement of Vipul Bansal, a friend of Hans and an employee of RNA Corp, the company accused of bribing him.
Bansal, who is now a witness in the case, told investigators that Hans arranged two different dates from the NCDRC bench to facilitate RNA Corp’s compliance with a court order, which eventually led to the cancellation of an arrest warrant against the firm’s promoter, Saranga Agarwal.
The ED claims the bribe money was routed through one Shadad Khan, an associate of Hans, with Bansal acting as the middleman. Hans allegedly met RNA Corp promoter Anubhav Aggarwal through Bansal to broker the deal.
Hans held the role of private secretary from July 2014 to May 2019, during which time the NCDRC fell under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
The case is part of a wider investigation into allegations of corruption and misuse of official position by Hans, who is already in judicial custody.
