Vadodara: The Dahod district and sessions court has rejected the plea seeking cancellation of bail granted to Balwant and Kiran Khabad, sons of Gujarat Minister of State for Panchayats, Bachu Khabad, in connection with the initial FIR registered in the alleged ₹71 crore scam related to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme in Dahod.

Despite receiving bail in the first case from a magistrate court, both brothers remain in judicial custody in connection with subsequent FIRs. They were initially arrested following their alleged involvement in the ₹71 crore scam reported in April. However, as Dahod police registered two additional cases linked to MGNREGA irregularities in separate villages, Balwant and Kiran were re-arrested and remanded to judicial custody after brief police custody.

The Khabad brothers stand accused of supplying materials for MGNREGA projects despite their agencies not being the lowest bidders. The materials were reportedly provided by firms connected to them and others across three villages in Devgadhbaria and Dhanpur talukas. So far, 12 individuals—including eight government officials and four private parties, among them the Khabad brothers—have been arrested in connection with the scam. DeshGujarat