SC probe on Rs 146 crore contracts puts CM Khandu govt on edge; Arunachal ministers distance themselves

Arunachal Pradesh’s political landscape has been thrown into turmoil after the Supreme Court sought a detailed report from the state government on work contracts allegedly awarded to companies linked to Chief Minister Pema Khandu’s family. 

 

The court intervention comes after revelations that four firms associated with the CM’s wife, brother and sister-in-law received contracts totalling more than Rs 146 crore in Tawang district over a period of nine years.

 

According to the affidavit submitted by the state government to the apex court, 146 contracts worth Rs 383 crore were allotted in Tawang between 2012 and 2023 during Pema Khandu’s tenure as the state’s youngest and wealthiest Chief Minister. The firms allegedly linked to his family include entities owned by his wife Tsering Dolma, his brother and former Tawang MLA Tashi Khandu, and sister-in-law Nima Dreama.

 

The matter reached the judiciary following two separate petitions filed in the Supreme Court — one by Jodik Tali, Chief of Voluntary Arunachal Sena, and the other by the Save Mon Region Federation. Earlier, on March 18, 2025, the Gauhati High Court directed the state government to submit a detailed affidavit naming the beneficiaries and family members of the CM who were awarded contracts by various departments in Tawang.

 

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On December 2, 2025, the Supreme Court acknowledged the allegations and sought a comprehensive report from the Arunachal government, while deferring the next hearing to February 2026.

 

As the issue fuels intense public debate ahead of the December 15 Panchayat and Municipal polls, the ruling BJP government has pushed back against the accusations. Tourism, Rural Works and Education Minister Pasang Dorjee Sona, often described as the most powerful figure in the Khandu Cabinet, dismissed the allegations as politically motivated while speaking to India Today. However, he refused to elaborate further, citing the matter as sub judice.

 

Sona underscored that the government would abide by whatever decision the Supreme Court delivers, adding that comments at this stage would be inappropriate. The state’s Health and Family Welfare Minister also declined to speak on the issue for the same reason.

 

Meanwhile, the Congress — which currently holds just one seat in the 60-member Assembly — similarly refused to comment, saying the issue was before the apex court.

 

With the court set to revisit the case in February, Arunachal’s political landscape is likely to remain tense, as the controversy touches the highest level of governance in the state.