Jaipur, May 21 (Udaipur Kiran) — The Rajasthan High Court has granted interim relief to suspended RAS officer Pinky Meena in a corruption case by staying her suspension order.
The order was passed by the bench of Justice Sudesh Bansal, which observed that the suspension of another accused RAS officer, Pushkar Mittal, had already been stayed by the High Court in the same case.
The court noted that Pinky Meena’s case was not different from that of Pushkar Mittal. It also observed that the suspension review committee had not provided sufficient reasons for continuing the suspension.
According to the court, the petitioner has remained under suspension since January 15, 2021, and was served a departmental chargesheet nearly five years later. The court said prolonged suspension for such a long period amounts to punishment in itself and directed that the suspension order be stayed to maintain parity.
Appearing for the petitioner, advocates Vipul Singhvi and Aadesh Arora argued that suspension under service rules is only a temporary preventive measure to ensure that an accused officer does not influence the investigation.
The counsel submitted that the investigation in the case has already been completed, the chargesheet was filed long ago and prosecution sanction has also been granted. Therefore, there is now no possibility of influencing witnesses or tampering with evidence.
The case is linked to an alleged bribery matter connected to the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway project in Dausa district.
According to the complaint filed with the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), officials allegedly demanded bribes in exchange for removing obstacles related to land acquisition and construction work for the expressway project.
The ACB arrested then Bandikui SDM Pinky Meena on January 13, 2021, over allegations of demanding a bribe of Rs 10 lakh, while then Dausa SDM Pushkar Mittal was accused of demanding Rs 5 lakh.
Pinky Meena had also made headlines at the time as she was granted interim bail by the High Court for her wedding ceremonies shortly after her arrest.
Later, the ACB completed its investigation, filed the chargesheet in court and obtained prosecution sanction against the accused officers.
Bhupendra Singh Chundawat is a seasoned technology journalist with over 22 years of experience in the media industry. He specializes in covering the global technology landscape, with a deep focus on manufacturing trends and the geopolitical impact on tech companies. Currently serving as the Editor at Udaipur Kiran, his insights are shaped by decades of hands-on reporting and editorial leadership in the fast-evolving world of technology.