Congress asks why Khandu is CM despite SC-ordered CBI probe
New Delhi: Calling it a “gross travesty” of the Supreme Court’s order, the Congress questioned why Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu had not been removed from office despite the apex court directing the CBI to begin a probe into corruption allegations against him.
In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said allowing Khandu to continue in office undermines the spirit of the Supreme Court’s intervention.
Congress General Secretary and MP Jairam Ramesh posted on X: “It was on April 6, 2026, that a three-judge Bench of the Supreme Court directed the CBI to commence a preliminary inquiry into allegations that the Arunachal Pradesh CM’s family was awarded contracts worth Rs 1,270 crore over 10 years from Jan 2015 to Dec 2025 in a direct conflict of interest. This is not an order of a lower court or a high court. It is of the Supreme Court. Yet the CM continues in office. He is also the PWD Minister and controls the files that the CBI will need to conduct its inquiry.”
Ramesh also took a veiled swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, invoking his widely used “na khaunga, na khane dunga (I will not be bribed, nor let anyone else be bribed)” slogan while questioning the BJP’s response to the allegations of corruption.
“Why is the man who once said ‘naa khaunga na khaane dunga‘ quiet and why has the Arunachal Pradesh CM not been asked to step down?” asked Ramesh.
“There are other BJP CMs as well who fall in the category of the Arunachal Pradesh CM,” he added.
It was on April 6, 2026, that a three-judge Bench of the Supreme Court directed the CBI to commence a preliminary inquiry into allegations that the Arunachal Pradesh CM’s family was awarded contracts worth Rs 1,270 crore over 10 years from Jan 2015 to Dec 2025 in a direct…
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) May 19, 2026
The SC on 6 April directed the CBI to begin a preliminary enquiry within two weeks into PILs filed by NGOs which alleged that public contracts in Arunachal Pradesh were irregularly awarded to companies linked to relatives of Chief Minister Pema Khandu.
The court clarified that it would be the CBI that would decide whether a detailed investigation was needed. The agency has also been asked to submit a status report within 16 weeks.
The SC also clarified that the CBI could widen its probe beyond the allegations mentioned in the PILs if needed. The court said the agency can examine government files, the tender process and the reasons behind the awarding of contracts during its preliminary enquiry.
The SC ordered the Arunachal Pradesh government and all its departments to cooperate with the CBI and fixed a four-week deadline for the state to hand over all records, including electronic, related to the contracts allocated to all companies in the last decade.
The state chief secretary has also been asked by the SC to appoint a nodal officer to coordinate with the CBI and facilitate the agency’s access to records and officers.
During hearings, the Arunachal Pradesh government called the PIL a “sponsored litigation”, even as affidavits filed before the Supreme Court acknowledged that government contracts had been awarded to firms linked to relatives of CM Khandu.
Senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the petitioners, told the court that contracts and work orders worth nearly Rs 1,270 crore had been awarded over the last decade to four firms linked to Khandu’s family. He alleged this showed a clear conflict of interest and argued that the matter “reeked of corruption”, making a CBI probe necessary.
Bhushan had also argued that the state police could not investigate the matter impartially because companies linked to the family of a sitting chief minister were involved.
Interestingly, Pema Khandu and his father had long been associated with the Congress. Khandu served as secretary of the Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee and became chief minister while leading a Congress government in July 2016.
Months later, citing frustration with the Congress leadership and the need for stronger central support for the border state, he led a mass defection from the party. After a brief stint in a regional outfit, Khandu and his supporting MLAs formally joined the BJP on 31 December 2016, turning Arunachal Pradesh into a BJP-ruled state. Khandu has been Arunachal Pradesh chief minister since July 2016.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
Also read: 2 NGOs vs Pema Khandu—what’s the ‘Rs 1,270 crore public contracts’ case against Arunachal CM & kin
