india

Updated: Oct 21, 2014 03:38 IST

Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje on Monday gave the nod for recommending a CBI inquiry into a case of irregularities in 108-ambulance operations in which former CM Ashok Gehlot, state Congress chief Sachin Pilot and a number of senior Congress leaders are named as accused. The Rajasthan home department will now write to the agency for investigating the matter.

The FIR was filed at the Ashok Nagar police station in June this year on the basis of a police probe into a complaint filed by former Jaipur mayor Pankaj Joshi. Joshi had alleged that there were financial irregularities to the tune of R2.56 crore in the operations of 108-ambulance. He alleged the previous Congress government had favoured Ziqitza healthcare limited to run the ambulance services in the state and that the company was overpaid.

Joshi alleged the company was hired in a non-transparent manner to provide the service under National Rural Health Mission due to its strong political connections. The case was filed under sections 420 (cheating), 467, 468, 471 and 120B of the IPC and the matter handed over to the crime investigation department (CID) of the state police.

The case also named state former Rajasthan health minister AA Khan, Karti Chidambaram (son of former Union minister P Chidambaram), Ravi Krishna (son of former Union minister Vayalar Ravi), Shafi Mather former secretary of Rahul Gandhi and Shweta Mangal, then CEO of Ziqitza healthcare limited.