Former Rajasthan Minister Mahesh Joshi arrested in Jal Jeevan Mission scam

Rajasthan’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Thursday (May 7, 2026) arrested Congress leader and former Minister Mahesh Joshi in connection with the alleged Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) scam involving irregularities amounting to ₹960 crore in its tender process. The arrest was made nearly a month after retired IAS officer Subodh Agarwal was apprehended in the case.

Mr. Joshi, who served as the Public Health Engineering Minister in the previous Congress regime, was arrested from his residence in early morning. He was produced before the Special Court (Anti-Corruption), which remanded him to the ACB’s custody till May 11.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had earlier arrested Mr. Joshi in a money laundering case linked to the alleged JJM scam on April 24, 2025. He remained in jail for more than seven months until he was granted bail by the Supreme Court in December 2025.

The ACB has accused Mr. Joshi of misusing his position as a Minister and accepting bribes in exchange for tenders. Along with Mr. Agarwal, who was Additional Chief Secretary in his department, Mr. Joshi conspired with the contractors, engineers and private individuals to award tenders in a fraudulent manner and caused huge financial losses to the State exchequer, according to the ACB.

The ACB registered a first information report against the former Minister and others in late 2024. It has so far arrested as many as 11 accused, including the serving and retired engineers of the Public Health Engineering Department, in the case.

Large-scale irregularities were found in the JJM tender process, as two private firms allegedly secured contracts by submitting forged completion certificates, according to the ACB. Despite the officials being aware of the irregularities, no action was taken at the time and the tenders worth ₹960 crore were awarded in a manner that benefited select firms.

While being taken to the courtroom, Mr. Joshi told journalists that the ACB had arrested him out of “political vendetta”. “The ACB did not issue any notice to me. This is a cruel action… I am innocent,” Mr. Joshi said.