Bhopal District Court to Consider Saurabh Sharma's Surrender Request Today
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Synopsis
A Bhopal district court will review the surrender plea of ex-RTO constable Saurabh Sharma, who has been evading authorities since allegations emerged regarding disproportionate assets. The hearing, scheduled for Tuesday, follows extensive interrogations of Sharma's family by the ED.
Key Takeaways
- Bhopal court to hear surrender plea
- Saurabh Sharma has been absconding
- ED interrogated family members
- Sharma claims seized assets aren't his
- Multiple raids conducted by various agencies
Bhopal, Jan 28 (NationPress) A district court in Bhopal is set to hear the application for surrender submitted by former RTO constable Saurabh Sharma on Tuesday. Sharma has been on the run since facing allegations related to a disproportionate assets case. His attorney, Suryakant Bhujade, filed the surrender application in a special Lokayukta court on Monday evening, marking the hearing for Tuesday.
Prior to this, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) interrogated family members of Sharma, including his wife and mother, as part of the money laundering investigation. They were released after several hours of questioning.
The attorney for Saurabh Sharma previously informed the media that he would turn himself in, provided the state government guarantees his safety. Furthermore, the attorney asserted that the seized funds and assets, which include 52 kg of gold and property documents, do not belong to Sharma, who has expressed willingness to cooperate with investigative agencies.
Over the last two and a half months, multiple organizations, including the Madhya Pradesh Lokayukta, Income Tax department, and ED teams, have executed several raids across various regions of the state, including Bhopal, Gwalior, and Jabalpur.
In the past month alone, the ED has conducted raids on more than 12 locations associated with Sharma's relatives, believed to be linked to the ongoing case.
Sharma was appointed as a constable in the transport department in 2016 under compassionate grounds after the death of his father, a government doctor, in 2015. He served as an RTO constable for 12 years and opted for voluntary retirement (VRS) in 2023. Despite an ongoing inquiry, his application for voluntary retirement was accepted in 2023. Last week, an attorney for Sharma's close associate, Sharad Jaiswal, indicated that Jaiswal is also prepared to surrender before the court, contingent upon assurances of safety from the state government.
