Fertilizer scam: Have nothing to do with the case, says Agrasen Gehlot

The brother of Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Agrasen Gehlot, who was summoned again by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for questioning in a case of illegal export of fertilizer, appeared before the probe agency on Monday. He said he has nothing to do with the case.

He had appeared before the ED in Delhi last month as well. Gehlot and some others are linked to alleged irregularities in fertilizer export. He had earlier been questioned in this case but had approached court, seeking relief from ED’s action. The Rajasthan High Court recently asked him to cooperate with the agency in the investigation and directed the ED to not take any coercive action against him. The agency had raided his businesses in Rajasthan in July last year. The raids had come amid a political fight between Ashok Gehlot and his then deputy Sachin Pilot in the state. Gehlot son Anupam had also deposed before the agency in the case. What the case is about The alleged irregularities are related to the import and use of Muriate of Potash (MoP). It is imported by Indian Potash Limited (IPL) and distributed to farmers, through companies, at subsidised rates. IPL is concerned with import-handling, promotion and marketing of Potash in the entire country, and provides it at subsidised rates to farmers. According to officials, between 2007 and 2009, Agrasen, who was an authorised IPL dealer, bought MoP at subsidised rates and instead of distributing to farmers, he sold it to a few companies, which in turn exported it to Malaysia and Singapore in the guise of Industrial Salt. MoP is under the list of items that are banned for export. Directorate of Revenue Intelligence had unearthed the irregularities in 2012-13. The customs department had initially filed a case against Gehlot. Based on the chargesheet by the customs, the ED had filed a money laundering case against three firms and their owners, including Gehlot. Later, Ashok Gehlot’s brother was asked to pay a penalty of Rs 60 crore. 2020 recap In July 2020, the ED had registered a case against Gehlot in the fertilizer scam case. ED teams raided several locations  — six in Rajasthan, including Jodhpur, two places in West Bengal, four locations in Gujarat and one in Delhi. In the raid, the ED had seized documents related to fertilizer export. Ashok Gehlot during a media briefing on the heat by CBI, ED and Income Tax on his relatives and close aides had said, “It is a conspiracy by the BJP to topple my government in Rajasthan.” With input from agencies