In a significant development regarding the alleged irregularities in the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission, the Supreme Court on Wednesday granted bail to senior Congress leader and former Rajasthan Minister Mahesh Joshi.
The 70-year-old leader had approached the Apex Court challenging a decision by the Rajasthan High Court, which had previously denied him relief in the money laundering case investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
A division bench comprising Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Augustine George Masih passed the order allowing Joshi’s appeal. The former minister had moved the top court after the Rajasthan High Court dismissed his bail application in August.
By granting bail, the Supreme Court has set aside the lower court’s refusal to release the veteran politician, who has been in custody under the stringent provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The case against Joshi stems from an investigation initiated by the federal probe agency, the ED. The agency’s probe is based on a First Information Report (FIR) originally registered by the Rajasthan Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).
The allegations pertain to irregularities in the Jal Jeevan Mission, a flagship central government scheme designed to provide safe and adequate drinking water through household tap connections. The Enforcement Directorate alleged that money laundering activities took place during the implementation of this scheme in Rajasthan.
Mahesh Joshi served as the Cabinet Minister for the Public Health Engineering (PHE) department in the previous Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government. The PHE department was the nodal agency responsible for executing the water supply scheme in the state.
Joshi was taken into custody by the ED following an intense interrogation session lasting approximately seven to eight hours at the agency’s zonal office in Jaipur. Since his arrest, the former minister had been seeking legal remedy, culminating in Wednesday’s relief from the Supreme Court.
