Supreme Court Orders CBI Probe into Arunachal CM Over Contract Awards

The Supreme Court has ordered a preliminary enquiry by the CBI into allegations of favoritism and nepotism against Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu regarding public work contracts.

The Bench held that even a single instance of awarding public work through a tainted process violates Article 14.

The Court rejected the State’s defense that the percentage of contested contracts was numerically small, stating that statistics do not dilute constitutional violations.

Relying on a CAG report citing missing procurement records and non-competitive bidding, the Court emphasized that the State must act as a transparent custodian of public interest.

[Save Mon Region Federation v. State of Arunachal Pradesh & Ors.]