JAIPUR: Rajasthan's Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Thursday arrested former state minister Mahesh Joshi from his Jaipur residence in connection with the alleged Rs 900-crore Jal Jeevan Mission scam, officials said.
The arrest was carried out by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) early in the morning around 5 am at his home in San Colony, near Jaipur Railway Station.
According to ACB, Joshi has been named in the ongoing probe into alleged irregularities in the implementation of the water supply scheme and is accused of misusing his position as the then Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) minister. He is also alleged to have taken bribes in return for awarding contracts. The case was first registered by the ACB in late 2024, and several individuals, including officials and contractors, have already been arrested. Three accused are still absconding.
Joshi was earlier arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in April 2025 in a money laundering case linked to the same scam. He spent around seven months in jail before being granted bail by the Supreme Court in December.
The Jal Jeevan Mission is a flagship central government scheme aimed at providing tap water connections to rural households. The alleged scam involves misappropriation of funds meant for the scheme's implementation in Rajasthan.
