The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Rajasthan Police has filed a case against former Congress leader and Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) minister Mahesh Joshi, along with several others, in connection with an alleged scam related to the Jal Jeevan Mission.
ACB officials confirmed that the FIR names 22 individuals, including employees and representatives from contractor firms, as accused. Officials stated that Joshi is expected to be summoned for questioning soon, and both contractors and relevant government officials will also undergo cross-examination.
The allegations resurfaced during the previous Congress regime when Agriculture Minister Dr. Kirodi Lal Meena, who was then a BJP Member of Rajya Sabha, raised the issue in June of last year. Meena attempted to file an FIR at the Ashok Nagar police station in the State Secretariat, leading to a protest when his request was initially denied. Following a two-day sit-in, police removed him from the site.
The ACB subsequently registered a case against two proprietors of tubewell companies and others, accusing them of bribing public servants to sanction bills and cover up irregularities in the work completed by these firms.
Earlier this year, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) also took up the case to investigate potential money laundering associated with the alleged transactions. The ED has since arrested four individuals connected to the contractor firms as part of the investigation.
