Arrest of Rajasthan ex-minister Mahesh Joshi by ACB 'politically motivated': Gehlot

Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday condemned the arrest of former minister Mahesh Joshi by the Anti-Corruption Bureau ACB in the Jal Jeevan Mission corruption case and termed the action politically motivated. Despite this, Mahesh Joshi was directly arrested at 5 am without any notice or interrogation, which raises serious questions on the intention of the government, Gehlot said.

Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday condemned the arrest of former minister Mahesh Joshi by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in the Jal Jeevan Mission corruption case and termed the action ''politically motivated''. Joshi, who was the PHED minister in the former Congress government, was arrested on Thursday. Gehlot alleged that the ACB action violated legal procedures and accused the BJP government of misusing agencies for political purposes. He said the law required that a notice be issued and questioning conducted before an arrest is made if necessary. ''Despite this, Mahesh Joshi was directly arrested at 5 am without any notice or interrogation, which raises serious questions on the intention of the government,'' Gehlot said. The former chief minister said anyone found guilty of corruption should be punished, but alleged that the BJP government in Rajasthan was itself ''immersed in corruption''. Gehlot claimed that the ACB was under pressure to avoid action in ''real cases'' and instead proceed on political considerations. He termed the arrest of Joshi an example of such alleged misuse. He alleged that the arrest without prior questioning reflected ''political vendetta'' and expressed confidence that the judiciary would expose what he described as political retaliation.