Rajasthan Government Seeks Look Out Circular Against Retired IAS Officer Subodh Agarwal Over Jal Jeevan Mission Scam

Noose tightens around retired IAS Subodh Agarwal as the Rajasthan government has sent a requisition to New Delhi for a Look Out Circular (LOC) over the Jal Jeevan Mission scam. Anti-Corruption Bureau Superintendent of Police Pushpendra Singh confirmed the development, which comes over a month after the state’s Bhajan Lal Sharma sanctioned his prosecution in the Jal Jeevan Mission scam – which has emerged to be one of the most controversial scandals under the former Congress government. “We have sent the requisition for the LOC to the immigration office in New Delhi . Now, it is up to them when they will issue it. It is important to prevent him from leaving the country,” said Singh. A Look Out Circular is a legal mechanism through which the government stops, detains or prevents an individual from leaving the country. An alert is sent to airports, seaports and land borders after an LOC is issued to prevent a criminal or financial offender from leaving India. A 1988-batch IAS officer, Subodh Agarwal retired on December 31, 2025 — days after the state government sanctioned his prosecution in the case. Agarwal served as additional chief secretary of the Public Health and Engineering Department (PHED) and is under the radar of investigation agencies over allegations of fraud, corruption and collusion in Jal Jeevan Mission tenders. According to official sources, the ACB raided Agarwal’s residence in Jaipur at 4:00 a.m. on February 17 but did not find him. CCTV footage showed him leaving his home around 9 pm the previous day. The irregularities linked to Rajasthan’s Jal Jeevan Mission alleged scam involve tenders worth Rs 960 crore. According to investigators, two firms allegedly secured tenders by submitting forged completion certificates. The latest development comes days after nine senior officials were arrested following early morning raids across multiple locations. On Wednesday, all nine suspects were remanded in police custody for three days for further investigation. Meanwhile, four others have secured no-coercive-action orders from the Rajasthan High Court, meaning police cannot take punitive action while their case is pending. The action spells more trouble for Mahesh Joshi, a Congress leader who was the PHED minister at the time of the alleged scam. In December, the Supreme Court granted bail to Joshi seven months after he was arrested in the case.