Raj Jal Jeevan case: ED expanding probe; Guv grants sanction against ex-minister Mahesh Joshi

Jaipur, Sep 16 (PTI) The Enforcement Directorate is set to expand its probe in the money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in Rajasthan's Jal Jeevan Mission scheme with the Governor recently granting prosecution sanction against former PHED minister Mahesh Joshi to the state anti-corruption bureau (ACB), official sources said on Monday.

The sanction came about after the federal probe agency shared "incriminating evidence" related to the case with the ACB under section 66(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the sources said.

Joshi was a minister in the previous Congress government in Rajasthan.

The ED has conducted multiple searches in this case, including at the premises of Joshi, and has arrested four persons including an alleged middleman and some contractors.

Rajasthan ACB director general (DG) Ravi Prakash Meharda told PTI that "the Governor issued prosecution sanction against the ex-minister (Joshi) nearly a month ago".

"Since the Governor is the appointing authority of a minister, he was competent to issue the sanction for prosecution," the DG said.

Sources said the ACB has sought a similar sanction against 15 officers allegedly involved in the case and its application was pending.

ED sources said the sanction will "bolster" its investigation into the case and it can now investigate the "entire proceeds of crime" that were allegedly generated by the accused by committing the "irregularities".

"Vital and incriminating evidence gathered by the agency (ED) during its searches and questioning of the accused was shared with the Rajasthan ACB under section 66(2) of the PMLA which has led to the grant of prosecution sanction against the former minister (Joshi)," an ED official said.

The ED money laundering probe is being widened, he said.

The central government's Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) aims to provide safe and adequate drinking water through household tap connections and is being implemented in Rajasthan by the state's Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department.

The ED's money laundering case stems from an FIR registered by the ACB.

The ED arrested four people in the case -- Mahesh Mittal, proprietor of Shree Ganpati Tubewell Company, Padamchand Jain, proprietor of Shree Shyam Tubewell Company, a man named Piyush Jain and Sanjay Badaya, an alleged middleman.

The agency's investigation found that Padamchand Jain, Mittal and others were involved in giving bribes to public servants to obtain illegal protection, tenders, getting bills sanctioned and covering up irregularities in works executed by them in respect of various tenders they received from the PHED.

Badaya, the ED claimed, was in receipt of bribe from the accused firms like Shree Shyam Tubewell Company and Shri Ganpati Tubewell Company in order to facilitate favourable treatment.

He was also "influencing" officials of the PHED in carrying out their duties, it said.

The suspects were also involved in the purchase of stolen goods from Haryana for using them in their tenders and had also submitted "fake" work completion letters from IRCON to get PHED contracts, the agency had claimed.

Assets worth Rs 11 crore were also attached by the ED. PTI NES/SDA RT RT