NEW DELHI, AUG 24:
The Supreme Court on Monday took note of the response filed by the Arunachal Pradesh government in connection with a CBI status report on allegations relating to contracts allegedly awarded to firms connected with close relatives of Chief Minister Pema Khandu.
The matter came up before a Bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta, pursuant to the Court’s August 3, 2026 order, which had raised concerns over alleged non-cooperation by the state government in providing documents to the CBI and had directed the personal appearance of the Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary (Home) at today’s hearing.
Appearing for the state government, a team of senior advocates led by Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta and Advocate General of Arunachal Pradesh Indranil Choudhury submitted that the State had complied with the Supreme Court’s directions in letter and spirit and had extended full cooperation to the CBI by providing all information sought by the investigating agency.
The Bench noted that the State had apparently supplied the CBI with documents relating to all contracts, rather than restricting the material to contracts allegedly awarded to firms connected with the Chief Minister’s family. The Court observed that providing such a large volume of documents could make the exercise more difficult and potentially delay the investigation.
The Court also took note of the affidavits filed by the Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary (Home) explaining the show-cause notices issued pursuant to the August 3 order. It clarified that the personal appearance of the two senior officers would not be required in future unless specifically directed by the Court.
During the hearing, petitioner’s counsel Prashant Bhushan sought that scrutiny of documents be confined to firms allegedly connected with the Chief Minister’s family rather than covering contracts across the State.
The Court remarked that the petitioners had created the problem and that the State had supplied more documents than were required.
The Bench also considered WPC No. 995/2026, Nabam Kakum versus State of Arunachal Pradesh, which raises similar allegations and has been tagged with the main matter, MA 2216/2026 in WP(C) No. 543/2024. The Court directed notices to all concerned and gave the State the option to file its reply, if required.
The Supreme Court directed the CBI to file a fresh status report within two weeks and ordered that the matter be listed after four weeks. The formal order of the Court is awaited.
