New Delhi, Dec 3 (NationPress) The Supreme Court has granted bail to Mahesh Joshi, a former Minister of Rajasthan, who was taken into custody by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in April this year concerning the alleged Rs 900 crore Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) scam.

A Bench consisting of Justices Dipankar Datta and AG Masih reviewed a special leave petition (SLP) submitted by Joshi, contesting the order from the Rajasthan High Court dated August 26, which had denied his bail request.

In the contested ruling, a single-judge Bench led by Justice Praveer Bhatnagar noted that under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), bail can only be granted if there is a preliminary satisfaction that the accused is not guilty.

Joshi claimed he was falsely implicated, asserting his name was absent from the initial case filed by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).

He further stated that despite receiving a notice last year, his arrest occurred without any new evidence being introduced.

Moreover, he contended that the ED accused him of accepting Rs 2.01 crore but did not present any proof regarding the origin of these funds. Joshi clarified that a Rs 50 lakh transaction involving his son’s business was simply a loan that had been repaid.

In response, the ED maintained that Joshi’s involvement was explicitly detailed in a separate ACB FIR. The agency insisted that the Rs 50 lakh transaction could not be dismissed merely because it was later returned.

Furthermore, the ED alleged that Joshi had accepted bribes during the tendering procedures of his department.

Previously, the ACB filed an FIR against 22 individuals, including Mahesh Joshi, in connection with the multi-crore Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) scam. The list of suspects included senior departmental officials such as the financial advisor, chief engineer, additional chief engineer, superintendent engineer, and executive engineer.

The ACB noted that a significant breakthrough emerged from the analysis of an email ID, which directed investigators to critical evidence.

By tracking and scrutinizing related email accounts, the identities of several officials involved in awarding tenders based on fraudulent certificates were revealed. The investigation has uncovered a significant network of officials and contractors who allegedly manipulated the tendering process to enable widespread corruption under the JJM scheme.