SC seeks Centre’s reply on PIL accusing Arunachal CM of granting contracts to kin

The Supreme Court on September 8 directed the Union government to file its reply within three weeks on a public interest litigation (PIL) that accuses Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu of awarding government contracts to his close relatives.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta noted that while the state government had already filed its affidavit in line with the apex court’s March 18 order, the Centre had failed to do so. The bench rejected technical objections raised by the Centre’s counsel and said, “This court had given you a direction. File the affidavit. Don’t tell us all these technicalities.”

The PIL, filed by NGOs Save Mon Region Federation and Voluntary Arunachal Senaa through advocate Prashant Bhushan, alleged that “the state of Arunachal Pradesh is being run by the chief minister like his private limited company,” claiming all major contracts were awarded to firms linked to his family. Bhushan referred to the Comptroller and Auditor General’s (CAG) report and pressed that the Centre’s affidavit should respond not only to the petition but also to the state’s affidavit and the CAG’s findings.

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The plea has named Khandu, his late father Dorjee Khandu’s second wife Rinchin Drema, and nephew Tsering Tashi among the respondents. It specifically alleged that Drema’s firm, Brand Eagles, received a large number of government contracts in violation of conflict-of-interest norms.

While Arunachal Pradesh’s counsel dismissed the allegations as “sponsored litigation” and claimed the petitioners were “digging out skeletons from the cupboard when none exists,” the court observed that the matter required detailed examination.

The bench granted the Union of India three weeks to file its affidavit, noting that the CAG has already submitted its report, and allowed the petitioners to respond to the state’s affidavit. The case will be heard after three weeks.