Kajal Meena, posted as Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) in Nadauti in Rajasthan's Karauli district, has been arrested by the Rajasthan Anti-Corruption Bureau in a bribery case. She was allegedly caught accepting a bribe of Rs 60,000.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau also arrested her reader Dinesh Kumar Saini and senior assistant Praveen Dhakad in connection with the same case.
According to officials, the action followed a complaint alleging that a bribe of Rs 1 lakh was demanded for processing an order related to a land dispute. The amount was later reduced, and the SDM was allegedly caught while accepting Rs 60,000.
A case has been registered and further investigation is underway.
Kajal Meena is an engineering graduate from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi. She had earlier worked in central government departments, including as Assistant Section Officer in the Department of Telecom in Delhi and in the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation before joining the Rajasthan Administrative Service.
She was the topper of the 2024 RAS examination in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category.
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After selection, she was first posted in Pratapgarh but did not join there. She was later appointed SDM in Nadauti, where she has been serving for around two years.
Following her arrest, an old mock interview video of Kajal Meena has surfaced on social media in which she had spoken about “bringing positive changes in society through administrative service.”
Several ‘X' users criticised the development.
A user wrote, “her Motto, Civil Servants have authority to bring positive change in people's lives.Now arrested by ACB for accepting a bribe of Rs 60k in her first posting as SDM. Such an insult to the rampant Bribe culture, just Rs 60000?”
“It raises serious questions about accountability. Let's see if the system delivers or shrugs it off,” wrote another.
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“Are bureaucrats really the servants of the people, or are they our rulers?,” questioned another.
Another opined, “Merit cleared exams, but integrity failed the test, System gives power for service… not side income.”
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