Overview

• The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Mahesh Joshi, former Public Health Engineering Department minister in Rajasthan, on money laundering charges under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
• The arrest follows allegations of irregularities in the Jal Jeevan Mission tendering process, with misappropriations estimated at over ₹2,000 crore during the 2018–2023 Congress government.
• The ED has previously conducted multiple searches, including at Joshi's premises, and detained middlemen and contractors connected to the case.
• The Rajasthan Anti-Corruption Bureau had filed an FIR in November 2024, accusing Joshi and others of colluding with officials and contractors to misuse funds allocated for water supply projects under the Jal Jeevan Mission.
• Further arrests are anticipated as the ED continues its investigation into alleged financial misconduct and forged tender approvals in the scheme.