RAJASTHAN: The Rajasthan Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has arrested Sub-Divisional Magistrate Kajal Meena along with her Reader and Senior Assistant for allegedly accepting a ₹60,000 bribe to issue a final decree in a land dispute case. The 2024-batch RAS topper was caught in a trap operation at her Nadoti office on Thursday.
Kajal Meena, a 2024-batch Rajasthan Administrative Service (RAS) officer who topped the examination in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category, holds a B.Tech degree in Electrical Engineering from IIT Mandi. Before joining the RAS, she worked as an Assistant Section Officer in the Department of Telecommunications and as an officer in the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO). She had also been selected as a Junior Engineer in 2017 but did not join the post.
Hailing from Badoli village in Sawai Madhopur district, Meena had taken charge as SDM of the Nadauti (Nadoti) sub-division in Karauli district in October 2025. This was her second major posting after serving as Assistant Collector (Under Training) in Tonk and as Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) in Suhagpura, Pratapgarh.
The ACB’s Sawai Madhopur unit acted on a complaint alleging that the complainant was being harassed through the SDM’s reader for a bribe to process the final decree in a land dispute case. The initial demand was reportedly ₹1 lakh, which was later negotiated down to ₹50,000. During verification, the ACB found that ₹50,000 was allegedly demanded on behalf of the SDM and ₹10,000 by the reader. Following confirmation of the allegations, the ACB laid a trap operation.
On Thursday, the ACB team caught Kajal Meena red-handed along with her Reader, Dinesh Kumar Saini, and Senior Assistant, Praveen Dhakad, while they were allegedly accepting the ₹60,000 bribe inside the SDM office in Nadoti. According to ACB officials, the Reader accepted the money and passed it to the Senior Assistant.
During the raid, authorities also recovered around ₹4 lakh in suspicious cash from a bag. A case has been registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act, and further investigation is underway to determine the source and purpose of the additional cash.
ACB Director General Govind Gupta stated: “a complaint was filed alleging harassment and a demand of ₹1 lakh, which was later negotiated down to ₹50,000. During verification, it was found that: ₹50,000 was allegedly demanded on behalf of the SDM; ₹10,000 was allegedly sought by the Reader. Following confirmation, the ACB laid a trap and caught the accused while accepting ₹60,000.”
The operation was supervised by senior officers including Dr Rameshwar Singh, Smita Srivastava, and S Parimala, with the Sawai Madhopur team led by Additional SP Gyan Singh Chaudhary. Questioning of the accused is currently underway.
The arrest has drawn widespread attention, particularly due to a viral video of Kajal Meena’s mock interview from her selection process. In it, when asked about shifting from a technical background to administration, she had said: “an administrative officer can use their legitimate authority to bring positive changes in the life of the common people.” The contrast between her earlier stated aspirations and the current bribery allegations has sparked strong reactions on social media.
As of now, the three accused remain in custody, and the ACB continues its probe into the matter, including any possible larger pattern of irregularities.
The arrest of Kajal Meena, a young RAS topper just months into her first independent posting, has once again highlighted the deep-rooted problem of grassroots corruption in district administration. At the sub-divisional level, where officers wield direct authority over land disputes and public services, such cases severely erode public trust. The ongoing ACB investigation will reveal further details, even as the incident underscores the need for stronger accountability and ethical safeguards in field-level governance.
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