NEW DELHI, Aug 24: The Supreme Court on Monday took note of the response submitted by the Arunachal Pradesh Government in connection with allegations concerning contracts purportedly awarded to firms linked to close relatives of Chief Minister Pema Khandu.
The matter relating to the CBI’s status report was taken up pursuant to the Court’s August 3, 2026 order, in which allegations had been raised that the State Government was not fully cooperating with the CBI in providing documents. The Court had also directed the personal appearance of the Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary (Home) at today’s hearing.
A battery of senior advocates, led by Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta and Advocate General of Arunachal Pradesh Indranil Choudhury, appeared for the State Government and submitted that the State had complied with the Supreme Court’s directions in letter and spirit. It was further submitted that the State had extended full cooperation to the CBI and supplied all information and documents sought by the investigating agency.
A Bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta noted that the State appeared to have supplied the CBI with documents relating to all contracts, rather than limiting the material to contracts allegedly awarded to firms connected with the Chief Minister’s family.
The Bench observed that providing such a large volume of documents could make the exercise more difficult and potentially delay the investigation.
The Court also noted that affidavits explaining the show-cause notices issued pursuant to its August 3 order had been filed by the Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary (Home). It clarified that the personal appearance of the two officers would not be required in future unless specifically directed by the Court.
During the hearing, senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the petitioner, requested that scrutiny be confined to documents concerning firms allegedly connected with the Chief Minister’s family rather than extending to contracts across the State.
The Court observed that the petitioners themselves had contributed to the situation by raising the issue, while the State had furnished documents beyond what was required for the specific exercise.
The Bench also considered WPC No. 995/2026, filed by Nabam Kakum against the State of Arunachal Pradesh on similar allegations and tagged with the present matter, MA No. 2216/2026 in WP(C) No. 543/2024. The Court directed notices to be issued to all concerned and permitted the State to file its reply, if it considered it necessary.
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 detailed order of the Court is awaited.