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Bribes, Scams and Suspensions: Inside Vidarbha’s 5-Year Corruption Storm

Bribes, Scams and Suspensions: Inside Vidarbha’s 5-Year Corruption Storm
Bribes, Scams and Suspensions: Inside Vidarbha’s 5-Year Corruption Storm

Vidarbha has become a hotbed of corruption scandals, with government officials at every level facing charges from 2020 to 2025. Vidarbha's administrative structure, spanning 11 districts, has witnessed an unprecedented wave of corruption cases that have shaken public trust in governance.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau has registered hundreds of cases across the region, revealing how deeply entrenched corrupt practices have become in the system. From village-level gram sevaks demanding bribes for basic services to senior bureaucrats manipulating crores worth of infrastructure projects, the corruption network has penetrated every tier of government machinery.


The scale of these cases suggests that what was once considered isolated incidents has evolved into systematic exploitation of public office for personal gain.


Village Level Corruption: Gram Sevaks and Tehsildars Demand Bribes Across Vidarbha Districts


The corruption web in Vidarbha extends from the most basic administrative levels, where citizens first encounter government services.


In April 2025, Chandrapur district witnessed a significant case when Executive Engineer Harsh Bohre of the Rural Water Supply department was arrested alongside two staff members.

The trio had demanded a bribe of ₹4.20 lakh for clearing pending bills worth ₹43 lakh for ten villages in Rajura tehsil, demonstrating how even essential services like water supply were being held hostage for monetary gains.


Village-level corruption has become particularly rampant across the region. March 2025 saw Chandrapur's Ajaypur village making headlines when a gram sevak and sarpanch were arrested for demanding ₹15,000 for land transfer registration and no-objection certificates for poultry business. This case illustrated how basic administrative services that should be provided as a matter of right were being monetised at the grassroots level.


Tehsildar-level corruption has emerged as a widespread phenomenon across Vidarbha. In April 2025, Ballarpur tehsildar Abhay Arjun Gaikwad and talathi Sachin Raghunath Pukale were caught in a bribery case involving ₹2.20 lakh for allowing soil excavation work. The case highlighted how land-related permissions, crucial for development activities, were being treated as opportunities for illegal enrichment.


Bhandara district has not remained immune to such practices. Tehsildar Vinita Lanjewar faced a departmental inquiry for serious corruption charges related to non-agricultural land permissions.

The case demonstrates how the conversion of agricultural land, a critical aspect of development, was being manipulated for personal benefit.


The pervasive nature of corruption at the tehsil level has created a situation where citizens seeking basic government services find themselves trapped in a web of illegal demands. These cases reveal how the administrative machinery closest to the people has become a barrier rather than a facilitator of public service delivery.


Police, Health, Education and Forest Department Officials: Mid-Level Government Corruption Exposed


The police department in Vidarbha has faced significant corruption allegations across multiple districts.


In February 2025, Nagpur's Assistant Police Inspector Premanand Dadarao Katore was arrested for accepting a ₹2 lakh bribe to avoid registering a case against a complainant.

The Koradi police station officer had demanded the money in a land dispute case, showing how law enforcement officials were manipulating their authority for financial gain.


Forest department officials have also been implicated in corruption cases. February 2025 saw Gadchiroli's Range Forest Officer Mamta Namdev Rathod, along with round officer Maroti Sambhaji Gaikwad and forest guard Ganesh Uttam Rathod, arrested for accepting ₹1 lakh bribe to settle a soil excavation case. The case highlighted how environmental regulations were being compromised for monetary considerations.


The education department has witnessed extensive corruption across the region. In April 2025, Nagpur police arrested five officials in the Shalarth ID scam, including the deputy director of education, Ulhas Narad, from Gadchiroli.


The case involved fake teaching credentials being used to secure government jobs and promotions, undermining the integrity of the education system and affecting the quality of public education.

The health department has also been affected by corruption scandals. Various cases have emerged involving medical officers and health officials accepting bribes for issuing certificates and approving medical procedures. These cases have directly impacted public health services and created barriers for citizens seeking medical assistance.


Revenue department officials have consistently topped the list of corruption cases across the eastern Maharashtra region. The department's role in land records, property registration, and revenue collection has created multiple opportunities for corrupt practices.


Officials have been caught accepting bribes for everything from property mutations to revenue record corrections.


Senior Bureaucrats and IAS Officers: High-Stakes Corruption


The irrigation sector has been particularly scandal-ridden, with the Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation at the centre of multiple corruption cases.


In 2020, the Anti-Corruption Bureau registered fresh cases against five officials, including then Chief Engineer Sopan Ramrao Suryawanshi and Executive Director Rohidas Maroti Landge, for illegally increasing tender costs by ₹8.5 crore in the Gosikhurd right canal project.


The Maharashtra irrigation scam has implicated several high-ranking officials serving in the region. The cases span from 2020 to 2025, with allegations of cost escalations running into thousands of crores. The scam allegedly involved irregularities in the approval and execution of various irrigation projects during different political regimes, affecting agricultural development across the region.


IAS and IPS officers have not been immune to corruption charges. The case of IAS officer Puja Khedkar in 2024 brought national attention when she was transferred to Washim district amid allegations of fraudulent caste and disability certificates and misuse of authority for special privileges. The case highlighted how even the highest levels of civil service were not immune to corrupt practices.


Central government agencies have been actively targeting corruption in Vidarbha. The Central Bureau of Investigation has been particularly active in the area.


In July 2024, the CBI registered cases against ten individuals, including former officials of CSIR-NEERI, Nagpur, in corruption-related tendering and procurement processes.

The cases involved allegations of criminal conspiracy and manipulation of bids.


In March 2024, the CBI arrested NHAI officials in the Nagpur Outer Ring Road corruption case. General Manager Arvind Kale and Deputy General Manager Brijesh Kumar Sahu were arrested along with four others for a ₹20 lakh bribery case, demonstrating how infrastructure development projects were being compromised for personal gain.


Anti-Corruption Bureau Response: District-Wise Cases and Enforcement Actions in Vidarbha

Anti-Corruption Bureau Response: District-Wise Cases and Enforcement Actions in Vidarbha
Anti-Corruption Bureau Response in Vidarbha

The corruption cases have been widespread across all districts in the region. Amravati has seen 75 corruption cases registered in 2023 alone, with revenue department officials topping the list.


The cases included the joint director of higher education, Murlidhar Wadekar, being caught accepting a ₹30,000 bribe in 2022, showing how educational administration was also affected by corrupt practices.


Chandrapur has faced multiple scandals, including the recent SIT probe ordered into the District Central Cooperative Bank for alleged large-scale corruption involving fraudulent fund transfers and recruitment irregularities.

The case highlighted how cooperative institutions, meant to serve farmers and rural communities, were being manipulated for personal benefit.


Yavatmal has witnessed corruption in various departments, with the district seeing a threefold increase in ACB traps in 2014, indicating the persistent nature of the problem. The increase in trap operations demonstrated the proactive approach being taken by anti-corruption agencies to combat the menace.


The Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau has been actively pursuing cases across the region. In 2024, the ACB registered 713 corruption cases statewide, with Vidarbha contributing significantly to this number. The bureau has been conducting regular trap operations and has strengthened its presence across all districts to combat corruption.

The ACB's data shows that revenue department officials have been the most implicated in corruption cases, followed by police department personnel. The cases have involved amounts ranging from thousands to crores of rupees, indicating the scale of the problem and its impact on public service delivery.


Multiple cases are currently under investigation by various agencies. The Enforcement Directorate has been probing money laundering aspects of several cases, including the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve fraud case, where jewellery worth ₹1.42 crore was seized.

The judicial system has been handling numerous corruption cases, with special courts dealing with Prevention of Corruption Act cases. Several cases have resulted in convictions, while others remain under trial.


The pattern of corruption cases from 2020 to 2025 reveals a complex web of illegal activities that have affected every aspect of governance in the region. From village-level services to major infrastructure projects, the corruption network has created barriers for citizens seeking government services while enriching those in positions of power.


The continued vigilance of anti-corruption agencies and the judicial system remains crucial in addressing these systemic issues that have undermined public trust in governance.


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