Hiren Joshi - case

 Hiren Joshi - case

This X post shares a screenshot of a Grok summary analyzing a Marathi exposé on the Mahadev Betting App scandal, alleging PMO officer Hiren Joshi received Dubai-sourced payments for media influence amid ED-CBI probes into ₹50,000+ crore hawala transactions.

 
The scandal involves sudden resignations by Joshi (transferring duties to Ashwini Vaishnaw before vanishing), Hitesh Jain from the Law Commission in October 2025, and Navneet Sehgal from Prasar Bharati on December 2, 2025, linked to efforts to loosen betting laws and sponsor Bollywood events.

 
Social media trends like #MahadevBettingScam demand CBI inquiries into unverified U.S. partnerships and media silence, contrasting opposition calls for probes with limited mainstream coverage, though official ties remain unconfirmed by primary sources.

Since 2019, Hiren Joshi, Officer on Special Duty or OSD (Communications & Information Technology) in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), has been a prominent figure in the nation's most influential office as a joint secretary. He is a constant presence in the WhatsApp messaging feeds of well-known major media journalists, controlling headlines and, according to many, choosing the direction and type of coverage that big media should pursue. Since "there were no WhatsApps from him" after October 12, 2025, he has been the subject of numerous social media discussions and the news due to his silent benching. According to several journalists, the instructions vanished after November 24.

He has recently returned to WhatsApp groups, which has sparked additional curiosity and conjecture.  Congress leader and spokesperson Pawan Khera asked some questions yesterday (December 3), stating that Joshi had played a significant role in "strangling Indian democracy" and that people needed to know "why his associate in the Law Commission was unceremoniously asked to leave and vacate his house" as well as "who are his business partners? India is entitled to information.  

Khera mentioned discussions that were "being debated on social media" regarding Joshi's potential business connections and international trips. An article on the press conference appears to have been removed from an online news source in the meanwhile.  According to Open Magazine, "Hiren Joshi isn't simply part of Modi's ecosystem—he is the ecosystem's motherboard," according to Newslaundry. The point person for Modi. The man who created the entire NaMo web universe from scratch, rather than just offering the PM advice on digital strategy. 

 Another notable change in the Modi government's typically opaque communications apparatus is the abrupt resignation of senior former IAS official Navneet Sehgal as chairwoman of Prasar Bharti, which was accepted within a day of his submitting his paperwork.  Speculation about what was going on and whether Sehgal's abrupt departure was connected in any way to Joshi's "absence" was further stoked by his resignation, which came just 20 months into a three-year term.It is well known that there have been unprecedented departures of Modi government appointees from important positions, such as finance secretary S.C. Garg, governors of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) like Urjit Patel, Ashok Lavasa from his position as India's first election commissioner, and Arun Goyal, another election commissioner, just days before the general election was scheduled to be announced. However, no justification was provided, and "personal reasons" were typically mentioned.