NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has asked the Centre to file its response to a PIL alleging Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu awarded contracts to his family members.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta sought the response from the Centre within three weeks after being apprised that the state had already filed its affidavit in terms of the apex court's March 18 order but the Union government was yet to do so.
NGOs, Save Mon Region Federation and Voluntary Arunachal Senaa, filed a plea seeking a CBI probe or by a Special Investigation Team into the allegations against Khandu.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan for the petitioner Save Mon Region Federation argued that State of Arunachal Pradesh was being run like a private company by the Chief Minister.
He alleged that the Union of India, i.e., the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Finance were directed to file the detailed affidavit. But no response has yet been filed.
"In fact, their affidavit should not only be in response to the petition, but it should also be in response to affidavit filed by the state as well as a report of CAG," he submitted.
Bhushan also claimed that all the contracts have been awarded to his wife's company, and his cousins’ company. "It is shocking state of affairs. How can it be like this... Rs 100 crores have been looted," he alleged.
Opposing the submissions of Bhushan, the state government sought dismissal of the plea on the ground that it was an abuse of process of the law.
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