The Supreme Court has sought a response from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on a plea demanding an investigation into allegations that public contracts in Arunachal Pradesh were awarded to companies linked to Chief Minister Pema Khandu’s family.
A bench led by the Chief Justice directed the Centre, particularly the MHA and the Ministry of Finance, to submit a detailed affidavit addressing the concerns raised in the petition.
The court also instructed the state government to provide a comprehensive report listing the recipients of the contracts mentioned in the plea.
The petition, represented by Advocate Prashant Bhushan, claimed that "the state of affairs is shocking" and alleged that "many contracts were given to a company owned by the Chief Minister’s wife." Bhushan argued that the state was being "looted" and called for urgent judicial intervention.
However, the counsel appearing for the Arunachal Pradesh government dismissed the allegations, describing the plea as a politically motivated attempt to disrupt governance.
The state’s lawyer contended that "this writ petition is an absolute abuse of power" and pointed out that similar petitions had been dealt with by the High Court earlier.
"This is a replication of an application already dismissed by the High Court," the state counsel argued. "The CAG report did mention Arunachal Pradesh, but it confirmed that everything is being done according to the law. This plea is nothing more than political propaganda filed by groups opposed to development in the state."
The Supreme Court observed that a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had been referred to the relevant authorities for review. However, the bench remarked that "the CAG report is neither here nor there" and stressed the need for a formal response from the concerned ministries.
In its order, the court directed the Centre, through the MHA and the Finance Ministry, to file a detailed affidavit addressing the allegations.
It also instructed the Arunachal Pradesh government to submit a report outlining the details of the contracts awarded, including the identities of the recipients and their affiliations.
Additionally, the court asked the CAG to submit its final report in response to the Supreme Court’s directives issued on 20 March 2024.
The Centre has been granted five weeks to file its response, while the petitioner will have an additional three weeks to submit a rejoinder. The matter is scheduled for further hearing in the week commencing 21 July.
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