‘Builder kept asking how he could serve me’:IAS-selected SDM Pooja Soni rejects ₹30,000 bribery allegation

The ₹30,000 bribery case in the Tendukheda SDM office in Narsinghpur has now directly reached SDM Pooja Soni, whose recent selection in UPSC 2025 has pushed the matter into national discussion. On May 14, her steno Saurabh Yadav was caught red-handed by the Economic Offences Wing, allegedly accepting a ₹30,000 bribe in the SDM office. During the raid, he was allegedly heard saying ₹5,000 was for him and ₹25,000 belonged to ‘SDM Madam.’ Sources said that before the trap, the complainant had asked Pooja Soni, ‘Madam, how may we serve you?’ While she gave no direct reply, she allegedly said regarding the clerk, ‘Whatever you deem fit, you may do.’ The investigating agency reportedly has an audio recording of the conversation. How Pooja is surrounded by allegations of bribery, and what will happen to her upcoming appointment to the IAS post, apart from her current job? Read in this report It is very difficult for Pooja Soni to come out of the allegations in the bribery case. EOW officials say that in the initial investigation, strong evidence of SDM Pooja Soni’s role has been found from voice recordings and other facts. Currently, an FIR has been registered against Steno Saurabh Yadav, but the investigation against SDM Pooja Soni and peon Sunil Kumar is also ongoing. ‘Work was already done, why would a bribe be needed?’ After the Economic Offences Wing action, SDM Pooja Soni told Dainik Bhaskar that she was innocent and claimed the bribe was taken by her clerk, not her. She said, ‘When I had no transaction of any kind, how can I be made an accused?’ She added that the NOC linked to the alleged bribery had already been issued on May 12. ‘The case started on April 27 and the work was completed on May 12. When the work was already done, why would there be a conspiracy on May 14?’ ‘Builder kept asking how he could serve me’ According to Pooja Soni, complainant Sanjay Rai repeatedly asked her, ‘Madam, how can I serve you?’ but she refused each time. Later, when he asked about the clerk, she allegedly replied, ‘You can see to that.’ She said she does not interfere if someone offers tea or snacks after work is completed out of happiness. ‘Had the clerk told me that ₹30,000 was being demanded, I would have refused it immediately,’ she said. Pooja Soni also claimed that the clerk had told the EOW there was no conversation between him and the SDM regarding the alleged bribe. ‘If even one rupee of expenditure is proven, I will quit my job’
The SDM challenged and said, ‘If any party in any court case says that they have spent even one rupee, I will quit my job.’ Pooja Soni, a resident of Devendranagar in Panna district, belongs to a simple family. Her father, Mahesh Soni, is a farmer, while her mother manages a utensil shop. She said that our family values are not such that we would do such wrong things. What is the whole matter?
Sanjay Rai, a builder from Tendukheda, had complained to EOW Jabalpur that he had applied for a site inspection for the colony construction map, but there was a deliberate delay. It is alleged that Saurabh Yadav, a steno at the SDM office, demanded a bribe of 30 thousand rupees. It was said that the map would be approved only after the bribe. He was making rounds daily for it. Will it be difficult to become an IAS
On this question, retired IAS Veena Ghanekar says that EOW will first complete its investigation. If their role comes to light in the investigation, the agency can file a chargesheet, for which government permission will be required. After this, the government can also initiate a departmental inquiry if it wishes. However, currently, there is no immediate legal impediment to him becoming an IAS officer. What does the law say?
Under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, if a public servant, by using his position, demands, accepts, or agrees to accept an ‘undue advantage’ in return for performing, refraining from performing, or influencing an act, it is considered an offense. This includes not only cash bribes but also expensive gifts, property, foreign travel, jobs, or benefiting relatives. Demanding benefits in exchange for expediting files, securing tenders, influencing investigations, or issuing licenses also falls under the category of an offense. Upon conviction, there is a provision for imprisonment ranging from 3 to 7 years and a fine. According to investigation agency officials, in bribery cases, the court primarily looks at three things: intent, demand, and acceptance. Among these, proving demand and intent is considered extremely important.