Jal Jeevan scam: Ex-Minister Mahesh Joshi granted interim bail after wife’s demise

Jaipur:  Congress leader and former Rajasthan Minister Mahesh Joshi’s wife, Kaushal Joshi, passed away on Monday morning in Jaipur. She had been undergoing treatment at Manipal Hospital.

Mahesh Joshi, who is currently in the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the Rs 900 crore Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) scam, was produced before the special PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) court as his remand ended on Monday.

During the proceedings, news of his wife’s demise was received, following which his lawyer filed an application for interim bail for seven days. The court, however, granted him four days of interim bail.

Joshi was arrested by the ED on April 24. During his first court appearance, ED counsel Ajatashatru Meena had sought a seven-day remand, but Judge Sunil Ranwah granted a four-day remand instead.

The ED has so far arrested Piyush Jain, Padam Chand Jain, Mahesh Mittal, and Sanjay Badaya in connection with the scam.

The case pertains to alleged irregularities in the Jal Jeevan Mission, a Central Government scheme aimed at providing tap water to every rural household.

Under the Rural Drinking Water Scheme, expenses were to be equally shared by the Centre and the state government.

However, instead of using the mandated ductile iron (DI) pipes, inferior HDPE pipes were laid. Contractors allegedly misappropriated funds by falsely claiming new pipelines had been installed, while in many cases, either old pipelines were reused or none were laid at all.

Widespread irregularities have been reported. Despite large financial claims, many rural areas still lack water pipelines, pointing to large-scale corruption involving contractors and water department officials.

There were also allegations of stolen materials being used. Contractor Padam Chand Jain reportedly sourced stolen pipes from Haryana, passing them off as new installations and siphoning off crores of rupees.

Sources said that companies like Shyam Tubewell Company and Shri Ganapati Tubewell Company secured tenders worth hundreds of crores by submitting fake experience certificates, allegedly with the knowledge and support of complicit officials and political connections.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) initially uncovered the scam, arresting several officials. Subsequently, the ED registered a case and conducted raids on the residences of Mahesh Joshi, his associate Sanjay Badaya, and others.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered its own case on May 3, 2024, and the ED handed over its findings to the ACB on May 4.

–IANS