The Rajasthan High Court has accepted the Anti-Corruption Bureau’s (ACB) closure report in the case alleging a conspiracy to topple the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government during its previous term, declaring the entire episode ‘false’.
The case, initially lodged by the Gehlot government against former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot and his associates, had accused them of plotting to bring down the Congress-led administration. The Special Operations Group (SOG) first registered the case under sedition in July 2020 after arresting two men, Bharat Malani and Ashok Singh, for allegedly attempting to bribe legislators. Pilot was later named as an accused, sparking his rebellion against Gehlot.
The ACB, which later took over the investigation, found no evidence of bribery, horse-trading, or political conspiracy in the intercepted phone calls that formed the basis of the case. According to the agency, the recordings reflected casual conversations about politics, gambling, and personal matters, with nothing linking the accused to attempts at destabilising the government. A review of their bank accounts also showed no suspicious financial transactions.
The bureau further clarified that no MLA had ever complained of being approached or offered inducements. The claim that independent MLA Ramila Khadia was offered money to switch sides was also found to be untrue.
Based on these findings, the ACB submitted a final closure report, which the High Court has now accepted, giving a clean chit to all accused.
Following the ruling, Udaipur resident Bharat Singh and Beawar’s Bharat Malani said they had been falsely implicated to tarnish Pilot’s image. Pilot, reacting briefly, said he had not gone through the court order but maintained that if the case was declared baseless, “that is correct”.
The case had gone through multiple twists. The SOG dropped the matter in August 2020 citing jurisdiction issues, but a fresh complaint was filed a day later by former minister Mahesh Joshi, then in jail in an unrelated corruption case, keeping the investigation alive until now.
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