Jaipur: Police have arrested eight people, including Rajasthan State Road Development Corporation (RSRDC) officials and contractors, in connection with alleged mass irregularities in the construction of the Rajasthan High Court’s main bench building in Jodhpur. The arrests were made over two days, with five people arrested on Monday and three more on Tuesday.
Eight arrested in building case
Among those arrested on Monday was Virendra Garg, owner of Virendra Construction Company (VCL Group), the contractor that executed the project. Garg, who had been absconding for nearly two years and carried a ₹50,000 reward, was arrested from Haridwar late Monday night.
On Tuesday, police arrested Deepak Mittal, a former RSRDC official currently posted as an XEN in Jaipur, and Ajay Kishan Mutha, the then AEN with RSRDC. Police said a third arrest was also made as part of the same operation.
The five arrested on Monday included former RSRDC officials Jitendra Sharma, the then AEN; Naveen Rai, the then project manager; and Rajesh Purohit, besides Rameshwar Dayal, owner of JK Company, and Gopal Lal Khandelwal, owner of the company responsible for installing the fire safety system.
Investigation into alleged irregularities
Jodhpur Police Commissioner Anshuman Bhomia said Garg fled from Gurugram after the irregularities came to light. The accused are expected to be taken on remand for questioning.
According to police, construction of the new High Court building began in 2011, and the structure was handed over in 2019, after which it was inaugurated. Several defects were reported after the handover, including cracks in the central dome, problems with false ceilings, and incidents of fire at different locations.
Defects found in building systems
Investigations by agencies including IIT Jodhpur and IIT Bombay reportedly found several deficiencies in the building and its systems. A case was registered at Kudi police station in 2024, following which a special investigation team was formed.
Police said the investigation found the roles of the construction company, the fire-safety installation firm, and RSRDC officials responsible for monitoring the project to be suspicious. Twelve special teams and four cyber teams were subsequently deployed, with searches conducted across Rajasthan as well as Gurugram, Delhi-NCR, Punjab, and Haridwar.
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Further arrests possible
Police are now examining project records and other documents to establish the extent of the alleged irregularities and the role of other suspects. More arrests are likely as the investigation progresses.
