New Delhi: In a significant development, the Supreme Court on April 6 directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to conduct a preliminary inquiry into allegations of favouritism in the award of public works contracts worth around ₹1,270 crore to companies linked to relatives of Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu.
A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and N V Anjaria ordered the CBI to register the preliminary enquiry within two weeks and submit its report within 16 weeks, indicating whether a full-fledged independent investigation is warranted.
The court directed the probe to cover contracts awarded between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2025, while allowing the agency to expand the scope if required. It also instructed the Arunachal Pradesh government and its departments to fully cooperate with the CBI, provide all relevant records within four weeks, and ensure no documents are destroyed.
The Chief Secretary of Arunachal Pradesh has been asked to appoint a nodal officer within one week to coordinate with the investigating agency.
The order came on a petition filed by the Save Mon Region Federation and Voluntary Arunachal Senaa, represented by senior advocate Prashant Bhushan. The petitioners alleged that several high-value contracts were awarded to firms connected to the Chief Minister’s family members, including his spouse and nephew Tsering Tashi, without following due tendering procedures.
The allegations point to possible violations of the code of conduct for ministers, which prohibits extending undue benefits to relatives.
This is the latest development in a case that has seen multiple hearings. The Supreme Court had earlier sought responses from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Finance, and the state government regarding the tendering process. References were also made to a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report concerning similar issues.
The court’s directive is being viewed as a crucial step to examine whether the alleged irregularities warrant deeper criminal investigation. The Arunachal Pradesh government is yet to issue an official reaction on the Supreme Court order.
Tags: Supreme Court CBI Inquiry, Pema Khandu Contracts, Arunachal CM Kin, Irregular Contract Allotment, ₹1270 Crore Contracts, Tsering Tashi, Prashant Bhushan Petition, Arunachal Pradesh Corruption Allegations, Save Mon Region Federation, Northeast Political News
Hashtags: #PemaKhandu #SupremeCourt #CBIInquiry #ArunachalPradesh #ContractScam #ArunachalNews #NortheastIndia #SCOrder #CorruptionProbe #IndianPolitics
