Supreme Court Orders CAG Probe into Arunachal Pradesh Tender Corruption Allegations

In a significant development, the Supreme Court of India has directed the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) to investigate allegations of corruption pertaining to certain tenders floated by the Arunachal Pradesh Government a decade ago. The order, issued on March 20 by a Bench comprising Justices Aniruddha Bose and Bela M Trivedi, comes in response to a Special Leave Petition raising concerns about the awarding of contracts without the proper tendering process.

The petition, filed by a non-governmental organization (NGO) in 2010, challenged a decision of the Gauhati High Court regarding contracts allegedly awarded by the State Government without the requisite tendering procedures. Notably, the respondents in the case include Dorjee Khandu, who served as the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh from 2007 to 2011, and the current Chief Minister, Pema Khandu, who is the son of Dorjee Khandu.

A key issue highlighted during the proceedings was the significant time gap between the alleged incidents and the commencement of the legal proceedings. Advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing the petitioner, emphasized the apparent corruption involved in awarding contracts without proper tendering processes, particularly to close relatives of the Chief Minister.

In response, the State of Arunachal Pradesh argued that the contracts beneficiaries, including the former Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu, had passed away, resulting in the abatement of the case against him.

The Supreme Court had previously sought the CAG's response on two crucial aspects: whether close relatives of the Executive Head of the State can be awarded government contracts, and if so, what norms should govern such awards. Now, with the recent directive, the CAG has been tasked with investigating the allegations and examining the underlying issues surrounding the tendering process.

This move underscores the judiciary's commitment to addressing allegations of corruption and ensuring transparency and accountability in government procedures. As the CAG delves into the matter, its findings are anticipated to shed light on the practices surrounding the awarding of government contracts in Arunachal Pradesh and may have far-reaching implications for governance and accountability in the state.