Bhopal, March 19 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate's Bhopal Zonal Office, on Thursday, filed a charge sheet against Jagdish Prasad Sarwate, former Deputy Director of Madhya Pradesh's Adim Jati Kalyan Vibhag (Tribal Welfare Department), under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.

The charge sheet was filed before the Special PMLA Court in Jabalpur on March 18.

On being called, Sarwate appeared before the court and received a copy of the charge sheet and relied upon documents.

The ED initiated the investigation on the basis of an FIR in 2025 registered by Jabalpur's Economic Offences Wing under Sections 13(1)(b) read with Section 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, as amended.

The FIR pertains to allegations that Sarwate while serving as a public servant acquired assets disproportionate to his known sources of income during the check period from January 1, 2015 to June 20, 2025.

During the course of investigation under PMLA, it was revealed that the accused had generated proceeds of crime through corrupt practices and subsequently laundered the proceeds of crime by introducing illicit cash into the banking system and investing it in acquisition of multiple properties and commercial establishments located in Bhopal, Mandla, Umaria and Seoni districts.

The ED has identified total proceeds of crime amounting to Rs 11.81 crore nearly representing the value of assets in which the illicit funds were invested and integrated.

Accordingly, immovable properties of equivalent value were provisionally attached in February 2026.

The ED investigation has established that Jagdish Prasad Sarwate knowingly acquired concealed assets and used these as proceeds of crime and projected them as untainted property, thereby committing the offence of money laundering under Section 3 of PMLA punishable under Section 4 of the Act.

The case is particularly notable because it involves a former official from the Tribal Welfare Department, which is meant to serve the interests of the state's tribal population.

Corruption in such departments not only drains public resources but also hampers development initiatives for the most vulnerable communities.

Further investigation is underway.

--IANS

sktr/khz