Court reserves order on bail pleas of 5

Vadodara: The magisterial court in Dahod on Monday reserved its verdict on the bail pleas of five accused, all govt officers, in the Rs 71 crore
National Rural Employment Guarantee Act
(MNREGA) scam exposed in Dahod.
The court heard the applications of former Devgadhbaria taluka development officer (TDO) Darshan Patel, account officers Jayvir Nagori and Mahipal Chauhan, and gram rozgar sevaks (GRSs) Mangal Pateliya and Fulsinh Bariya.
The state govt appointed Ahmedabad-based lawyer Amit Nair as the special public prosecutor in this case. Nair argued there was adequate evidence against the five that suggested their proactive role in the scam and causing big losses to the exchequer.
In a related development, the investigation officer filed an application seeking cancellation of bail granted to Balwant and Kiran, the two sons of Gujarat's minister for agriculture and panchayat Bachu Khabad.
Balwant and Kiran were granted bail, but the former was arrested again on Sunday in another FIR lodged against him. Kiran was arrested on Thursday as soon as he was released on bail. Both are presently in police custody.

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