New Delhi:
The Supreme Court on Monday directed the CBI to register a preliminary enquiry within two weeks into award of contracts for public works in Arunachal Pradesh to firms allegedly owned by family members of Chief Minister Pema Khandu.
The preliminary enquiry will cover execution for public works, contracts and work orders between January 2015-December 2025.
The top court has asked the state to fully cooperate with the CBI and asked the Chief Secretary, the state’s top official, to designate a nodal officer for coordination with the central investigation agency.
The state shall ensure no record is destroyed, the top court said.
The CBI has been asked to file a status report before the top court within 16 weeks.
A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and NV Anjaria concluded the hearing and granted two weeks’ time to all parties to submit written arguments before delivering its verdict.
The petitioners, Save Mon Region Federation and Voluntary Arunachal Sena, have alleged that contracts and tenders of the state have been awarded to firms associated with the Chief Minister, his wife, mother, and nephew.
The petitioners approached the top court in 2024, alleging partiality in the giving away of key tenders to close associates of Khandu, including the construction company ‘M/s Brand Eagles’ (linked to his wife).
It was further claimed that Pema’s nephew, Tsering Tashi, an MLA from Tawang District owning M/s Alliance Trading Co, was awarded work contracts without following due procedure.
During the hearing, the petitioners claimed that the contracts constituted roughly three per cent of the total government work awarded in the state during the period and sought an independent investigation, arguing that a state-level probe may not be impartial.
The counsel appearing for the state had earlier argued that the plea was a “sponsored litigation”.
On December 2 last year, the top court asked the Arunachal Pradesh government to file a comprehensive affidavit giving details of the contracts awarded from 2015 to 2025, including those to firms of family members of the Chief Minister.
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