Rajasthan High Court Approves Closure of ACB Probe in Government Toppling Case

Rapid Summary

• Rajasthan High Court accepted the Anti-Corruption Bureau’s (ACB) closure report on allegations of conspiracy to topple Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government in 2020.
• Two businessmen, Ashok Singh and Bharat Malani, were exonerated from charges of bribing MLAs after ACB cited lack of evidence in intercepted phone calls.
• The ACB inquiry concluded no discussions about bribery or destabilizing the government occured on the recorded phone calls.
• Singh and Malani were initially arrested by Special Operations Group (SOG) for purportedly attempting to bribe independent legislators and a congress MLA before Rajya Sabha elections and booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
• The phone calls mostly pertained to topics like COVID-19, international geopolitics, and internal political rivalries between CM Gehlot and ex-Deputy CM Sachin Pilot.
• Pilot had led a rebellion with 18 MLAs against Gehlot in July 2020 during a month-long political crisis but denied collusion with BJP; he was dismissed as Deputy CM afterward.
• Allegations included claims by Gehlot that BJP attempted similar actions as seen in Madhya Pradesh by offering large sums of money to legislators; BJP refuted these accusations.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The Rajasthan High Court’s acceptance of the closure report from ACB brings resolution to long-standing allegations involving attempts at destabilizing democratic governance within the State. The findings reinforce that credible evidence is paramount before assigning culpability or proceeding with legal action. The details highlight underlying tensions within regional politics-specifically between Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s camp and former Deputy CM sachin Pilot-and broader accusations surrounding external interference from national parties like BJP.

For India, cases such as this underscore critical elements tied to political accountability, transparency in governance processes, and institutional integrity. While dismissing unfounded charges restores credibility for accused individuals, it also reiterates institutions’ role in safeguarding democracy against baseless claims or personal vendettas arising from internal power struggles. Moving forward, this decision may facilitate public trust both toward investigative agencies like ACB while prompting concentrated deliberation around ethical campaign practices during critical events such as elections.

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