New Delhi, October 16 (H.S.): The Supreme Court has granted bail to former Rajasthan minister Mahesh Joshi and Mukesh Pathak, who were arrested in connection with the alleged Jal Jeevan Mission scam in Rajasthan. A Bench headed by Justice Dipankar Datta ordered their release on bail.

The Supreme Court had reserved its verdict on the bail pleas of both accused on October 12. The Rajasthan Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested Mahesh Joshi on May 7, 2026, in connection with the case. In August 2026, the Rajasthan High Court rejected the bail applications of Joshi and other accused, citing the alleged loss of crores of rupees. Following the rejection of their pleas, they approached the Supreme Court.

In a related money-laundering case, the Supreme Court had granted bail to Mahesh Joshi on December 3, 2025.

During the proceedings, Joshi’s counsel, Vivek Jain, submitted that his client had been in custody for five months and had been falsely implicated in the case. He also argued that Joshi’s name did not appear in the original case registered by the Anti-Corruption Bureau.

According to the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Mahesh Joshi is accused of involvement in an alleged scam involving Rs 2.01 crore. In its report, the agency also claimed that a transaction of Rs 50 lakh had taken place involving a firm belonging to Joshi’s son.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar