Overview
- The Gujarat High Court refused regular bail to suspended collector Rajendrakumar Mahendrabhai Patel on June 29, saying there were no reasonable grounds to believe he was not guilty under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
- The Enforcement Directorate says it quantified Patel’s alleged proceeds at Rs 3,12,62,230 after examining 501 change‑of‑land‑use applications and alleges a fixed bribe formula that gave the collector 50 percent of takings.
- Key evidence the court relied on includes Rs 67.5 lakh seized in a December 23, 2025 search, handwritten ‘hisaab sheets’, about 800 CLU photos recovered from email, witness statements, and an alleged attempt to reset Patel’s phone before raids.
- The ED has also alleged concealment of proceeds through a shop bought in the officer’s wife’s name with under‑declared value, jewellery purchases, routed rental income, and repeated sub‑PAN cash deposits, and the ACB has filed a related corruption case.
- The court applied the PMLA’s stringent Section 45 bail test, stressed the wider harm of official corruption to governance and the economy, and noted the ED may continue investigation and file supplementary complaints over concealment of funds.