Jaipur, April 28 (NationPress) Mahesh Joshi, a prominent Congress figure and former Minister of Rajasthan, experienced a personal loss with the passing of his wife, Kaushal Joshi, early Monday in Jaipur. She was receiving treatment at Manipal Hospital.

Currently detained by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) over the alleged Rs 900 crore Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) scam, Joshi appeared in a special PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) court as his remand concluded on Monday.

During the court proceedings, news of his wife's death emerged, prompting his attorney to submit a request for interim bail for a duration of seven days. The court, however, granted four days of interim bail.

Joshi was arrested on April 24. At his initial court session, ED counsel Ajatashatru Meena requested a seven-day remand, but Judge Sunil Ranwah approved a four-day remand instead.

So far, the ED has also apprehended Piyush Jain, Padam Chand Jain, Mahesh Mittal, and Sanjay Badaya in connection with this scam.

The case involves allegations of misconduct in the Jal Jeevan Mission, a Central Government initiative designed to deliver tap water to every rural household.

Under the Rural Drinking Water Scheme, the financial obligations were to be shared equally between the Centre and the state government.

However, instead of the required ductile iron (DI) pipes, substandard HDPE pipes were used. Contractors allegedly misappropriated funds by falsely reporting that new pipelines were installed, while in many instances, either old pipelines were reused or no new pipelines were laid at all.

Numerous irregularities have surfaced. Despite significant financial claims, many rural communities still lack access to water pipelines, indicating a prevalence of corruption involving contractors and water department officials.

There have also been accusations of utilizing stolen materials. Contractor Padam Chand Jain allegedly procured stolen pipes from Haryana, misrepresenting them as new installations and embezzling crores of rupees.

Sources indicate that firms like Shyam Tubewell Company and Shri Ganapati Tubewell Company obtained contracts worth hundreds of crores by submitting fraudulent experience certificates, reportedly with the awareness and assistance of complicit officials and political allies.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) initially uncovered the scam, apprehending multiple officials. Following this, the ED filed a case and executed searches at the residences of Mahesh Joshi, his associate Sanjay Badaya, and others.

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