JJM Scam: Rajasthan’s former PHED Minister Mahesh Joshi sent to jail; close aide Sanjay Badaya arrested at Delhi airport

Another key accused in the multi-crore Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) scam, Sanjay Badaya, was arrested at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi in the early hours of Monday.

Authorities had issued a lookout notice against Badaya, who is believed to be a close confidant of former PHED Minister Mahesh Joshi. Badaya had reportedly gone abroad to attend a wedding. He was arrested by Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) officials around 2:00 am after arriving at the Delhi airport from Thailand.

Advertisement

Badaya was later brought to Jaipur by the ACB and produced before the Special ACB Court along with former minister Mahesh Joshi, who was arrested by the ACB on May 7.

The ACB sought police remand for Badaya following his arrest, while Joshi was produced before the court for an extension of his police remand by three more days.

The court remanded Badaya to three days of ACB custody. However, it rejected the prosecution’s plea seeking further police remand for Joshi.

The magistrate subsequently sent the former minister to jail under judicial custody.

Speaking briefly to the media while being escorted to jail, Joshi said, “I have committed no wrongdoing. I merely approved files presented before me through the due process.” On being questioned about the interrogation, he added, “I have nothing to say and nothing to hide.”

Both Joshi and Badaya have now been arrested for the second time in connection with the over Rs 960-crore scam, this time on corruption charges.

Earlier, they were arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) — Badaya in 2024 and Joshi in 2025 — in connection with alleged money laundering and bribery transactions linked to the scam.

While Badaya was granted bail by the Supreme Court in December 2024, Joshi remained in jail for nearly seven months before securing bail from the apex court in December 2025.