Supreme Court Approves Bail for Close Associate of Former Rajasthan Minister in Jal Jeevan Mission Fraud Case
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New Delhi, Dec 17 (NationPress) The Supreme Court has officially granted bail to Sanjay Badaya, a close associate of Mahesh Joshi, the former Rajasthan Water Supply Minister, in the alleged Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) scam.
Earlier this year in July, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Badaya after uncovering incriminating evidence and documents highlighting his significant involvement in a money laundering case associated with the JJM.
A bench comprising Justices B.R. Gavai and K.V. Viswanathan approved Badaya's bail request, acknowledging that the formal charges have yet to be established, thereby making a swift conclusion to the trial unlikely.
Previously, the Rajasthan High Court had denied Badaya bail, referencing Section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), which stipulates that bail can be granted only if the court is convinced that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the accused is innocent of the alleged crimes and will not engage in further offenses while on bail.
A bench led by Justice Praveer Bhatnagar of the Rajasthan HC indicated that there was substantial material suggesting that Badaya had received money from co-accused individuals into his father's account and had also 'siphoned off' funds for land purchases.
During the investigation, the ED discovered that Badaya was liaising with private contractors and middlemen, allegedly taking bribes on behalf of officials from the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED). He reportedly acted as a link between the officials and the contractors.
The inquiry further revealed that Badaya was a close aide of former PHED Minister Mahesh Joshi and had considerable influence over office operations and documentation. The ED had previously taken into custody Piyush Jain, his father Padam Chand Jain, and Mahesh Mittal in relation to this case. In September, the Supreme Court had granted bail to Piyush Jain after considering the unique facts and conditions surrounding the case.
