New Delhi, March 18 (HS). The Supreme Court has issued notices to the Home Ministry and Finance Ministry while hearing a petition demanding an SIT investigation into allegations against Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu for awarding contracts to companies owned by his relatives. A bench headed by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna has ordered that the next hearing in the case be held in the week commencing July 21.

During the hearing, the petitioner’s Advocate Prashant Bhushan stated that the state is being looted. Multiple contracts have been awarded to the companies owned by the Chief Minister’s wife and his nephew, violating the anti-corruption laws and the code of conduct for ministers. He mentioned that around 70 contracts worth thousands of crores have been awarded to the companies of the Chief Minister’s wife and nephew. In response, the lawyer representing the state government described this petition as an abuse of the law, claiming it is motivated by political interests.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar