Jaipur, December 3 (NationPress) The Supreme Court has granted bail to former Rajasthan Minister and Congress politician Mahesh Joshi on Wednesday, following nearly seven months of imprisonment at Jaipur Central Jail.

Joshi was taken into custody by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on April 24, as part of the inquiry into the alleged Rs 900 crore Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) scam. His initial bail request was denied by the Rajasthan High Court on August 26, prompting him to seek relief from the apex court.

A bench comprising Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice A.G. Masih issued the ruling on Wednesday, almost two weeks post the judgment reservation on November 21.

Tragically, Joshi’s wife passed away just days after his arrest on April 28. Although he was granted a temporary bail for four days, he has remained in custody since.

In representing Joshi, senior lawyers Siddharth Luthra and Vivek Jain contended that he has been incarcerated for seven months without the trial commencing. They argued that the ED's evidence does not convincingly demonstrate bribery.

The attorneys highlighted that the ED claims Joshi accepted Rs 55 lakh as a bribe concerning a loan for his son's business, yet this sum was subsequently returned. They questioned, “If this was indeed a bribe, why was it returned?” asserting that the ED did not provide a satisfactory explanation.

Countering the bail request, the ED indicated that Joshi's involvement is evident in additional FIRs filed by the ACB. They stated that the Rs 55 lakh transaction represents misconduct related to the tendering process, and returning the amount does not eliminate the potential for criminal intent.

The agency further asserted that Joshi could potentially influence witnesses if released.

As part of the Jal Jeevan Scheme, the state and central governments were expected to share funding equally.

The complaint alleges that required DI (ductile iron) pipelines were substituted with HDPE pipelines. Payments were made for the installation of new pipelines, but in many cases, the work was never completed. It is claimed that contractors colluded with officials to claim payments for non-existent pipeline installations. Contractor Padmachand Jain reportedly utilized stolen pipelines from Haryana, misrepresenting them as new materials. Jain allegedly secured the tender using fraudulent company documents, which were overlooked by officials due to purported political affiliations.

Joshi’s release is anticipated to occur soon after the necessary formalities are completed.