The Rajasthan High Court on Friday dismissed the plea of retired IAS officer Nirmala Meena seeking to quash the state government’s approval to prosecute her in connection with the Rs 8 crore wheat scam.
A single-judge bench led by Justice Sunil Beniwal observed that the sanction for prosecution was neither arbitrary nor illegal. Meena is accused of misusing wheat stocks and ordering excess supply during her tenure as District Supply Officer (DSO) of Jodhpur in 2017, resulting in financial irregularities worth crores. The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Jaipur, had registered an FIR against her, followed by a chargesheet in 2018, which was later sent to the state government for prosecution approval.
Initially, the government did not grant sanction. However, on January 27 this year, the Bhajan Lal government cleared the way for her prosecution. Meena’s legal team contended that sanctioning prosecution nearly eight years after the FIR was “arbitrary” and an abuse of authority.
The state’s counsel countered that judicial interference in matters of granting or denying prosecution sanction is limited, emphasizing that Meena faced serious allegations of embezzlement. “While serving as DSO, the petitioner allegedly misused her position to divert wheat worth crores and spent about a month in custody in connection with the case,” the counsel added.
After hearing arguments, Justice Beniwal rejected Meena’s petition, paving the way for legal proceedings against her to continue.
