Key Points:
IAS Rajendrakumar Patel served as the Collector of Surendranagar, where he allegedly receive more than ₹3 crore in bribe for illegal land conversion.
After he was arrested in January 2026, Patel was suspended from the Indian Administrative Services and is now seeking bail in Gujarat High Court.
High Court rejected Patel's all three major arguments on the basis the accused was seeking bail.
THE GUJARAT HIGH COURT has refused to grant bail to suspended IAS officer Rajendrakumar Mahendrabhai Patel, while making observations on corruption, money laundering, and the responsibilities of public servants. Patel, a former Collector of Surendranagar, is accused by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for heading an alleged land conversion bribery racket in which he allegedly received more than ₹3.12 crore in illegal proceeds. The accused IAS officer from Gujarat has denied the allegations as the case is yet to go on trial.
Rejecting his regular bail plea under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), Justice Hasmukh D. Suthar of the Gujarat High Court observed that "the economic health of the Nation needs to be protected and money laundering scars the economic condition of the nation as a whole." The court further remarked, “Sovereignty of nation always prevail over personal liberty," while holding that Patel had failed to satisfy the strict twin conditions for bail under Section 45 of the PMLA.
Dr. Rajendrakumar Mahendrabhai Patel, born on August 23, 1985, is a Gujarat cadre IAS officer of the 2015 batch. A native of Gujarat, Patel completed his Bachelor’s in Dental Surgery (BDS) and a Master's degree in Public Policy before joining the Indian Administrative Service.
Over the years, he served in several important public administrative positions across Gujarat. His postings included Assistant Collector in Talaja, District Development Officer (DDO) in Sabarkantha, DDO in Vadodara, In-charge Collector of Sabarkantha, Deputy Municipal Commissioner in Surat Municipal Corporation, and later District Collector of Surendranagar.
As the Collector of Surendranagar, Patel was the senior-most district officer responsible for approving several categories of land-related applications, including Change of Land Use (CLU) proposals. During this tenure, he landed at the centre of an alleged corruption and money laundering investigation by the ED.
Following his arrest by the ED on January 2, 2026, the Gujarat government suspended Patel, in accordance with service rules for officers held in custody for more than 48 hours.
According to the Enforcement Directorate, the alleged racket revolved around processing applications for converting agricultural land into non-agricultural use in Surendranagar district.
The agency alleged that officials in the Collectorate had fixed unofficial rates for clearing Change of Land Use (CLU) applications. Investigators claimed applicants were allegedly charged ₹10 per square meter for approvals under Sections 65 and 65B of the Gujarat Land Revenue Code and ₹5 per square metre for approvals under Sections 54 and 55 of the Saurashtra Gharkhed Tenancy Settlement and Agricultural Lands Ordinance.
The ED further alleged that the illegal proceeds were distributed according to a pre-decided formula. As per the agency, the Collector received 50 per cent of the bribe money, the Resident Additional Collector 25 per cent, the Chitnis and Mamlatdar 10 per cent each, and the clerk the remaining 5 per cent.
Based on 501 land change applications processed during Patel's tenure, the ED calculated his alleged gains from the bribery were at ₹3,12,62,230. (3.12 Crore).
The investigation reportedly began after the ED recovered ₹67.50 lakh in cash and alleged "hisaab sheets" from the residence of Deputy Mamlatdar Chandrasinh Mori on December 23, 2025. According to the agency, the seized documents gave the details of the collection and distribution of bribe money.
The ED further claimed to have recovered digital records, handwritten calculations, witness statements recorded under Section 50 of the PMLA, and nearly 800 photographs of CLU files and applications from Patel's email account. The investigating body also alleged that Patel attempted to reset his Samsung S24 Ultra mobile phone a day before the ED raid, which the High Court noted while considering the bail plea. Patel has denied the allegations against him.
Patel argued before the Gujarat High Court that the money laundering case should not continue because no chargesheet had yet been filed in the offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act. He further claimed that several other accused in the case had not been arrested, so he should be given the same treatment, while also citing the requirement of an arthroscopic surgery for a knee injury.
However, the HC rejected all three arguments. Justice Hasmukh D. Suthar held that investigation into the predicate offence was not decisive while considering bail under PMLA and that money laundering remains an independent offence so long as the scheduled offence survives. It further observed that Patel's role was different from that of other accused because he was allegedly the final authority approving CLU applications and, according to the ED, the biggest beneficiary of the alleged bribery.
While rejecting the medical plea, the court said Patel's condition was neither terminal nor life-threatening and that he could receive treatment in jail or seek temporary bail for medical reasons if necessary.
Making sharp statements on corruption, Justice Suthar said corruption by government officials had become a serious challenge to constitutional governance and the rule of law. The judge also quoted English historian Lord Acton, saying, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
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