Overview
- Mahesh Joshi, a former Rajasthan water-supply minister, was detained at his Jaipur home early Thursday and remanded to Anti-Corruption Bureau custody until May 11.
- Investigators say contractors used fake IRCON completion certificates to win about Rs 960 crore in work under the Jal Jeevan Mission, which aims to provide household tap water.
- An Enforcement Directorate report cited by multiple outlets says bribe demands equaled about 4% of tender values and that forged papers helped secure 104 tenders worth roughly Rs 980 crore between 2021 and 2023.
- The probe has already netted former Additional Chief Secretary Subodh Agrawal on April 9 and at least 10 PHED engineers named in an ACB case that lists 22 accused, with warrants issued for several who are absconding.
- In parallel this week, ACB traps in Bhilwara, Dungarpur, Kotputli-Behror and Baran led to arrests of a PWD engineer with two contractors, a police ASI with a middleman, a patwari, and a joint director, with cash seizures ranging from Rs 8,000 to Rs 4.04 lakh.