Richest Bureaucrat: IAS at 22 and 253 crore asset at the age of 45

5 June 2011

statesman news service
RAIPUR, 5 JUNE: A Chhattisgarh cadre who cracked the IAS exam in his maiden attempt at the age of 22 is probably the richest bureaucrat of the country. According to reports of the Income-Tax department this IAS officer has accumulated assets to the tune of Rs 253 crore, all by alleged corrupt means.
The 45-year-old serving IAS officer, Mr Babulal Agarwal, belongs to 1988 batch. From the country’s worst famine-hit district of Kalahandi in Orissa, he is now in the dock.
Of late, Bhopal-based I-T department has submitted about a 5,000-page report to the Chhattisgarh government, listing out details how the officer created an empire of Rs 253 crore. The report is based on the raid it had carried out at his residence and at his charatered accountant's place here in Feburary last year. Mr Agarwal was the then agriculture secretary.
Later, Chhattisgarh’s BJP government suspended him from the post but reinstated him after a few weeks that raised questions about the government’s intent to fight corruption.
The I-T report has recommended action against the officer who is always keen on foreign trips and said that Mr Agrawal has floated some 30-odd companies in the past 11 years and operated more than 470 bank accounts with a total asset pegged at a whopping Rs 253 cr.
The report has now hit the headlines in the state on which Union law minister Mr M Veerappa Moily said in March during his visit here that, "Chhattisgarh is the most corrupt place in the country." Mr Agrawal, who is now secretary, co-operatives, has termed the I-T report "baseless".
"The I-T raid in February 2010 had found Rs 8 lakh from my residence in Raipur and it was all tax-paid money,’’ Mr Agrawal told The Statesman, adding, "reporters should avoid conducting media trial on the issue because it’s sub-judice. I have moved the Chhattisgarh High Court at Bilaspur against what I-T department claimed about my assets.’’
Mr Agrawal was miffed with repeated questions about his illegal assets empire, and said, "I belong to a business family. How the I-T department can club assets of my family members in my name, my brother, father and other members, all have separate business activities for long time and you can’t show their income in my name, I will fight it out.’’
Chhattisgarh’s chief secretary Mr P Joy Oommen, when asked why is the government not taking action against the IAS officer for piling up an illegal assets empire, said, "the whole issue of I-T raid against Mr Agrawal and then I-T report to state government, has been sent to Economic Offences Wing (EOW) for its own investigation and action to be taken only after a final report of the EOW is received.’’
Official sources say that I-T report has specific mention of several evidences about 'rag and rich’ story of Mr Agrawal who has always been dynamic in engineering corruption since he got the first posting in 1988 as assistant collector of Khargone district in undivided Madhya Pradesh. Though a few senior officials here recall his contribution to effectively execute key government schemes in Sehore district in Madhya Pradesh in 1995 when he served there as collector.
As per the I-T report, Mr Agrawal amassed his mind-boggling illegal assets mainly in the past 11 years when his postings ranged as collector in Durg and Rajn-andgaon districts to secretary in health department and then in agriculture department with the Chhattisgarh government.