Itanagar: The Centre has told the Supreme Court that it cannot look into the allegations of corruption and nepotism against Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister and BJP leader Pema Khandu in the award of contracts to his family members.
The Central government has informed the apex court that the Code of Conduct for Ministers, which applies to Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu, falls under the state’s jurisdiction, and that the Union finance ministry’s public procurement rules are not binding on state governments.
The submission was made in an affidavit filed by the Centre in response to a public interest litigation (PIL) by two non-profit organisations seeking an investigation into allegations that Khandu awarded public contracts to his family members.
The Centre’s affidavit said, “The MHA does not have any further role whatsoever in the matter. In fact, the issues flagged in the writ petition fall within the domain of the state government.”
The petitioners contended that the chief minister had violated the Code of Conduct for Ministers—applicable to both state and Central ministers and issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)—and had also disregarded the procurement rules of the Union Finance Ministry.
After the Union government had failed to file a response even after a court order on March 18, the Supreme Court had last month given it three weeks to file it.
The PIL has been filed by two NGOs – Save Mon Region Foundation and Voluntary Arunachal Sena, accusing Khandu, his father’s second wife Rinchin Drema, and his nephew Tsering Tashi, as beneficiaries of the contracts.
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The petitioners, represented by advocates Prashant Bhushan and Neha Rathi, also expressed concerns over the procedures followed in the public procurement process by the Arunachal Pradesh government.
The court is slated to hear the matter next week.
