Jaipur, January 9 (IANS). Rajasthan Governor Haribhau Bagde has approved the prosecution of Congress leader and former Minister of Public Health Engineering Department Mahesh Joshi under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) 2002. The Governor took this decision using the powers given under Article 164 of the Indian Constitution.
This case is related to alleged irregularities in the Jal Jeevan Mission scheme, in which there are allegations of scam worth crores of rupees. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had already arrested Mahesh Joshi in this case and had sought approval from the Governor to prosecute the case if the investigation proved prima facie a crime. The Governor has given the approval under Section 197 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (as per Section 218 of BNSS 2023).
Under this, permission has been given to prosecute Mahesh Joshi in the competent court for whatever crimes are made out against him under Section 3 and Section 4 of PMLA and other facts of the case. The ED alleges that under the scheme, bribes were taken in exchange for awarding tenders and hiding irregularities, the money of which was tried to be shown as legitimate through money laundering.
Mahesh Joshi was the Public Health Engineering Minister in the previous Ashok Gehlot government. ED has also accused many other people in this case and has seized properties. With this decision of the Governor, the way has been cleared to proceed with the investigation and now the trial proceedings will begin in the special court.
This incident remains a topic of discussion in Rajasthan politics. Congress has called it political vendetta, while the investigating agency is calling it strict action against corruption. The hearing of the case will now proceed and the decision will be taken in the court on the basis of evidence.
–IANS
SHK/VC
