Rajasthan HC Clears Sachin Pilot, Accepts Closure Report in 2020 Govt-Toppling Case
In a significant development, the Rajasthan High Court has accepted the Anti-Corruption Bureau’s (ACB) closure report in the 2020 case that alleged a conspiracy to topple the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government. The ruling effectively gives a clean chit to former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot and others who were named in the case.
The case was originally filed in July 2020 at the height of Rajasthan’s political crisis, when the state’s Special Operations Group (SOG) registered a sedition FIR after arresting two men, Bharat Malani and Ashok Singh, for allegedly offering bribes to Congress legislators. Sachin Pilot and his associates were later accused of being part of the conspiracy, fueling a political rift within the party and triggering Pilot’s rebellion against then chief minister Ashok Gehlot.
However, after taking over the investigation, the ACB found no evidence to support claims of bribery, horse-trading, or political conspiracy. The intercepted phone calls that served as the basis of the case were reviewed, but investigators concluded they contained nothing beyond casual discussions about politics, gambling, and personal matters. A forensic review of bank accounts of the accused also revealed no suspicious financial activity.
Importantly, the agency noted that no MLA had ever come forward alleging inducements, and the claim that independent legislator Ramila Khadia was offered money to switch sides was also dismissed as false.
With these findings, the ACB submitted its final closure report, which the High Court has now accepted.
Following the verdict, the accused expressed relief. Bharat Singh of Udaipur and Bharat Malani of Beawar maintained they had been “falsely implicated” to tarnish Sachin Pilot’s reputation. Pilot himself reacted cautiously, saying he had yet to review the court order but added that if the case was declared baseless, “that is correct.”
The case had seen several twists over the past four years. The SOG initially dropped it in August 2020 citing jurisdiction issues, but it was revived through a fresh complaint filed the very next day by former minister Mahesh Joshi, who at the time was in jail in an unrelated corruption case. The matter has remained under investigation until this week’s High Court ruling, which now brings it to a close.
