Born in a village in Rajasthan, Shri B. L. Joshi studied at the Scottish Church College and the University Law College in Kolkata. He started his career in 1957 with police service. He worked with Intelligence Bureau on subjects like Interpol, Counterfeiting, Narcotics, Industrial Security, United Nations CoUkectional work with Juvenile Delinquency.

             Shri Joshi worked in the Prime Minister’s office with  Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri and then with Smt. Indira Gandhi for over four years and  with the Ministry of  External  Affairs  as  the first Secretary in High Commissions of India at Islamabad and London and as Head of Chancery in the Embassy of India at Washington D.C.

            He took voluntary retirement from the I.P.S. in 1991 and got involved in social work. He also worked as Advisor in a large industrial group. In 1993 he moved to United States of America where he was Director with two large American Companies and also as Executive Director of ‘Foundation For Excellence Inc.’, an NGO located in California , U.S.A. which is involved in awarding of scholarships to bright and needy students in India .

            After his return from U.S.A. in March 2000, Shri Joshi was appointed as 'Member' of the Rajasthan State Human Rights Commission, a position equivalent to a High Court Judge, where he worked for four years. He assumed the post of the Lt. Governor of Delhi on 9^th June, 2004.

            Shri Joshi has extensively traveled in India and abroad. He takes keen interest in social work and is also associated with many social service groups and agencies.

            He was sworn in as Governor of Meghalaya on 12^th April, 2007 and as Governor of Uttarakhand on 29th October, 2007. Mr. Joshi took over as Governor of Uttar Pradesh on 28^th July, 2009.