"Come Clean...": Supreme Court On Row Involving Arunachal Chief Minister's Wife

The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Union Home and Finance Ministries to "come clean" amid questions being asked about the award of government contracts - worth several hundred crores - to the wife and family of Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu.

"We must have a clear-cut answer... who are the parties to whom contracts were awarded... what was the process? If tenders were not called for, then it must be stated. Both ministries must come clean. We need to see who is behind his," Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna said.

The court then ordered the state to file, in five weeks, a "detailed affidavit with details of parties to whom contracts were awarded", and the Comptroller and Auditor General of India - whose earlier report was shot down as "neither here nor there" - to file a final report of its own.

The court will be convened next on July 21, the Chief Justice said.

The state today filed certain details of contracts awarded from 2019 onwards.

Earlier the court had sought a report from the CAG. That report was cited by the Arunachal Pradesh government in its reply today, but this was shot down by the Supreme Court.

The Chief Justice-led bench was hearing a PIL, or public interest litigation, by two NGOs, Save Mon Region Federation and Voluntary Arunachal Senaa, that claimed the "100s of contracts worth several hundred crores" had been given to the family of the Chief Minister.

The petitioners had sought a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation, or at least a Special Investigation Team, to inquire into the award of contracts for public works. Appearing for both petitioners, lawyer Prashant Bhushan claimed the northeastern state "is being looted".

At least 70 of these, he alleged, had been given to the Chief Minister's wife's company.

"The state of affairs is shocking... the state is being run like a private limited company. All contracts (are given) to his wife's company... his cousin's company, etc." Mr Bhushan claimed.

Mr Bhushan also pointed out the earlier CAG report said it was the union ministries - Home and Finance - that established the rules governing award of contracts. He also pointed out counter affidavits filed by the state claimed the land was given "free of cost for employment generation".

The state hit back, calling the PIL "an abuse of due process". It was also declared that questions over the contracts were limited to just one of Arunachal Pradesh's 28 districts.

Citing the CAG's earlier report, the state counsel said, "Arunachal Pradesh is slightly different and the state government is doing everything it can do... as per law. This is a politically motivated PIL... petitioners are a bunch of people who don't want development in the state."

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