IAS officer Nagarjuna B. Gowda has been accused of corruption by RTI activist Anand Jat.
While ADM of Harda, Madhya Pradesh, Gowda reduced a fine of ₹51 crore down to ₹4,032 on a company charged with illegal excavation.
Jat has alleged a deal between Gowda and PATH India, the company.
Recent reports, however, indicate that no concrete evidence has yet been produced to substantiate the ₹10 crore bribe allegation.
IAS officer Nagarjuna B. Gowda – a doctor, UPSC influencer, and author of a book on ethics – has been accused of corruption, prompting a frenzy of media reports and public speculation. The claim was first raised by RTI activist Anand Jat, who alleged that Gowda had accepted a bribe to curb action taken against a construction company in Madhya Pradesh’s Harda district.
The claim states that Gowda received gratification worth ₹10 crore from Prakash Asphalting's & Toll Highways (India) Limited, or PATH India, while he was the Additional District Magistrate (ADM) of Harda in 2023. This was allegedly in exchange for reducing a fine of ₹51 crore down to ₹4,032, for illegal mining in Andherikeda village.
However, as per a report by The Times of India, authorities have not yet found any documentary or financial proof supporting the bribery claim, and no official probe has concluded wrongdoing.
The controversy stretches back to 2021-22. At the time, PATH was involved in the construction of the Betul–Indore highway for which it required large quantities of murrum soil. The company approached farmers in the neighbouring villages of Andherikeda, Bhadugaon, and Temagaon to collect the material from their properties. The farmers agreed, hoping to have their fields levelled in the process, and the administration granted the requisite permissions.
PATH was allowed to mine up to 12 lakh cubic meters over approximately 16 hectares. But soon complaints started pouring in from the villagers that the company had excavated beyond the stated limit, digging up their fields in the process.
Farmers reported that their fields had been dug 30-40ft deep – making them unreachable by cart or tractor. A lot of the pits filled with water, making the land unusable. The villagers had agreed to the initial proposition, hoping that their already bumpy lands would be rendered more tenable, only to end up worse than when they started.
In 2022, then ADM Pravin Phulpagare ordered an inquiry. A survey by tehsildars and patwaris found that PATH had excavated 34 lakh cubic meters beyond its limit. Based on this, Phulpagare imposed ₹25.83 crore for illegal mining and ₹25.83 crore for environmental damage — totalling ₹51 crore.
Based on this, ADM Phulpagare fined PATH ₹25.83 crore for illegal mining and ₹25.83 crore for environmental damage – totalling to ₹51 crore.
In 2023, Phulpagare was transferred from his post and replaced by Gowda. Gowda reviewed the case following appeals from PATH’s representation.
He organised another team to survey the area and reevaluate the documentation. A new report was prepared which declared that only 2,688 cubic meters of land had been excavated beyond the limit. It held that multiple companies and many villagers themselves held mining permits, making it impossible to determine which excavation had been conducted by whom. It also noted that the earlier investigation was incomplete, lacking visual evidence and adequate documentation.
Based on this Gowda reduced the fine on PATH down to ₹4,032.
The issue resurfaced in 2025, when Jat questioned Gowda’s decision, calling it a ‘favour’ towards the company.
He pointed out that the latest investigation did not prepare the proper documentation and failed to collect any visual proof from the sites. He argued that proof in the form of videos and testimonies was being ignored – that villagers’ claims and complaints were being recorded.
Jat alleged that this indicated a potential ‘deal’ between Gowda and PATH.
This has led to a public outcry against Gowda – across media outlets and the internet. Gowda, now CEO of Khandwa District Panchayat, has come out to defend himself.
Gowda has clarified that the initial fine stated by Phulpagare had not been finalised, and neither was the investigation complete. He said that six months of hearings followed the initial report, even after which blame for illegal excavation could not be placed solely on PATH. He added that in the past two years, no appeals have been filed against the decision.
“Every action was transparent and legally sound,” he said, “There is a tendency to sensationalize figures without understanding how administrative assessments work.”
According to Zee News and Free Press Journal reports, Gowda emphasised that the Madhya Pradesh Mining Rules require conclusive physical and documentary evidence before any fine can be imposed. He argued that the original order was procedurally unsustainable.
Meanwhile, videos from Andherikeda show craters scattered across farmlands, and farmers continue to stick by their claims.
This article was originally published in NewsGram.
(NG/VK)
