4 months ago
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The Gujarat authorities has suspended IAS serviceman and erstwhile District Collector of Surendranagar Rajendrakumar Patel following his apprehension by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) successful a bribery-linked wealth laundering case, officials said connected Monday (January 5, 2026).
Mr. Patel, a 2015-batch IAS officer, was arrested by the ED connected January 2. On the aforesaid day, a peculiar tribunal nether the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) remanded him to the agency’s custody till January 7.
In an order, the State’s General Administration Department (GAD) said Mr. Patel was placed nether suspension arsenic his play of custody had exceeded 48 hours. “Now, therefore, Patel is deemed to person been placed nether suspension with effect from January 2 successful presumption of sub-rule (2) of Rule 3 of the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969, until further orders,” the bid stated.
Mr. Patel, who was past posted arsenic the Collector of Surendranagar, had been transferred without a posting past period pursuing the apprehension of lawman mamlatdar (Revenue Officer) Chandrasingh Mori from his bureau by the ED successful a related wealth laundering lawsuit arising retired of alleged bribery.
Subsequently, the Central bureau arrested Patel connected January 2. The ED is probing alleged wealth laundering involving Mr. Patel, Mr. Mori and others aft registering an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) nether the PMLA.
According to the ED, Mr. Patel allegedly fixed bribe rates ranging betwixt ₹5 and ₹10 per quadrate metre for granting approvals for alteration of onshore usage (CLU). The bureau claimed that bribes were systematically demanded and collected arsenic “speed money” to expedite CLU applications and were routed done a web of intermediaries operating from the District Collector’s office.
The ED further alleged that a hisaab (account) of bribe collections was maintained and periodically shared with the District Collector’s idiosyncratic assistant, arsenic indicated by integer grounds recovered during the investigation.
So far, the probe has traced much than 800 CLU applications successful which bribes were allegedly paid, starring to the procreation of proceeds of transgression exceeding ₹10 crore, the bureau said. The ED has described Mr. Patel arsenic the cardinal beneficiary and last decision-maker successful the bribery-linked wealth laundering racket related to CLU approvals.
