Jaipur: Anti-corruption police in Rajasthan have arrested former Congress minister Mahesh Joshi in connection with alleged irregularities in the implementation of the Centre’s Jal Jeevan Mission, officials said.
Joshi served as the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) minister in the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government, when the scheme to provide tap water connections to households was executed under his department.
Investigators allege that bribes were taken and contracts were awarded in return, leading to an estimated scam of around Rs 960 crore. The Anti-Corruption Bureau registered a case against Joshi in 2024.
The Enforcement Directorate had also registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and arrested him last year. After spending about seven months in jail, he was granted bail by the Supreme Court.
In the continuing probe, the ED conducted searches at 15 locations across the state in February and arrested 10 engineers. Days ago, PHED Additional Chief Secretary Subodh Agrawal was arrested, following which ACB officials detained Joshi from his Jaipur residence and took him into custody for questioning.
