List of scandals in India

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The following is a list of proven scandals in India since independence, including political, financial and corporate scandals. The year, or decade, is when the scandal was first reported.

1950s

1970s

  • 1971 Nagarwala case (₹6 million)
  • 1974 Maruti scandal
  • 1976 Kuo oil scandal (₹22 million)

1980s

1990s

2000s

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2008

2009

2010s

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

  • Noida Ponzi scheme - A special investigation team (SIT) probing an alleged Ponzi scheme run by Anubhav Mittal, managing director of Ablaze Info Solution, concentrated their efforts on suspicious transactions by nearly 200 gold and diamond dealers.
  • Maharashtra scholarship scam - An investigation of alleged misappropriation of government scholarships intended for Other Backward Class students found that hundreds of institutes across the state had pocketed several thousand crore rupees since 2010.
  • On 5 April 2017, the CBI registered six cases against Winsome Diamonds and Jewellery and Forever Precious Jewellery and Diamonds and their chief promoter, Jatin Mehta, for allegedly cheating three government banks of ₹1,530 crore.
  • A public-interest litigation petition was filed against Adani Group, Reliance Group, Essar Group and other mining and energy companies for an investigation of alleged ₹290 billion overcharges for Indonesian coal and imported power equipment from 2011 to 2015.

2018

2019

2020s

2020

2021

  • Vazegate Scandal: In March 2021, following the Mukesh Ambani bomb scare case the NIA after taking over the Mumbai Police investigation, noted that a police officer, Sachin Vaze and Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh had played a role in the whole case of planning the bombs. Param Bir Singh who was later transferred wrote a letter to the Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray that the Home Minister of state Anil Deshmukh had asked him to collect Rs 110 crore every month. Many substantial pieces of evidence followed this letter.
  • 2021 Recruitment scam: On complaint from Brigadier (Vigilance) V K Purohit, alleging that on February 28, 2021, input was received about the alleged involvement of serving personnel in accepting bribes for clearance of review medical exam of temporarily rejected officer candidates at the Base Hospital in New Delhi Central Bureau of Investigation registered the FIR. After which the agency carried out searches at 30 locations across the country. The CBI has booked 17 Army officers including five officers of Lt Col rank, and six private persons in connection with alleged irregularities in recruitment for the armed forces. Lt Col MVSNA Bhagwan is alleged to be the mastermind of the recruitment racket, sources said. Several lower-ranking Army officials and relatives of the accused officers have also been booked.
  • Pegasus Snooping Scandal: An international investigative journalism initiative by the name of Pegasus Project that alleged that the Pegasus spyware was used on several individuals including ministers, opposition leaders, political strategists, judges, journalists, administrators and activists.

2022

  • Charity Scandal: On 10 February 2022, the Enforcement Directorate attached assets of worth 1.77 crore from journalist Rana Ayyub under the money laundering act. An ED official said that the donation she collected for three funds, during the COVID-19 pandemic were not used for the right purposes. Most of the donation was declared as taxable personal income and used for personal expenses. Income tax was paid on the donation.
  • Siri Vaibhava Scam: On 18 June 2022, Karnataka State Souharda Federal Cooperative has filed a criminal complaint with Karnataka State police against board members of Srivaibhava Souharda Pattina Sahakari Niyamitha for allegedly cheating investors. Prima facie reports indicates that the scam involves overall embezzlement of around 350 crores from collective public funds. Many Siri Vaibhava Scam perpetrators are also co-accused in Guru Raghavendra Bank scam implying criminal nexus among crimes.
  • School Service Commission Job Scandal West Bengal: On 23 July 2022, Education Minister of West Bengal and Secretary General of All India Trinamool Congress (ruling party of West Bengal State) Partha Chatterjee was arrested from his residence by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the alleged State School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment scam cases along with his aide actress Arpita Mukherjee. He was admitted to SSKM Hospital after complaining of chest pains. Later, he was shifted to AIIMS Bhubaneswar where doctors said that he suffers from chronic diseases but does not need immediate hospitalization. He is currently in the custody of the Enforcement Directorate. As of 28 July 2022, the Enforcement Directorate has recovered ₹49.8 Crores cash, gold worth ₹5.07 Crores, ₹56 lakhs worth foreign currency and coded diaries from properties related to him and Arpita Mukherjee. On 28 July he was expelled from the cabinet Ministries he was in charge of and suspended from the TMC. On 5 August 2022, he and his aide Arpita Mukherjee were sent to jail custody.
There is a lady named Annwesha Mukherjee who claimed herself to be a close aide of the Partha Chatterjee cheated many innocent people by promising them jobs in Indian Railways, SSC and other government jobs. She had also cheated many people across India on various pretext and was involved in various Scams. She was arrested but now in bail custody.
  • Staff Scandal In September 2022, West Bengal : The Court had ordered cancellation of 1911 jobs in group D & C positions in state-run and -aided schools after finding manipulation in their Optical Mark Recognition (Blank OMR) sheets but no one arrested. In 2023 , Kuntal Ghosh, Santanu Banerjee for illegal recruitmentt of TET 2022.

2024

  • Delhi liquor scam: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has been accused of favoring specific liquor traders who allegedly paid bribes for obtaining licenses under the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22. Manish Sisodia is arrested by CBI under the investigation.
  • Mahadev Betting App Case: The Mahadev Betting App Case is a scandal involving an illegal online gambling platform that was used to launder money. The app was run by Dubai-based Saurabh Chandrakar and his accomplice Ravi Uppal, both of whom hail from Chhattisgarh.
  • Sheesh Mahal scam: Linked with irregularities in the renovation of CM Arvind Kejriwal's residence, the CBI initiated a probe against him. As per the investigation, it was discovered that instead of renovation, the CM's house underwent reconstruction with luxurious curtains, imported flooring, kitchen, and a centralized air conditioner. This became the top news as Arvind Kejriwal, who claimed to change the political system and proclaimed himself as the 'Aam Aadmi' (common man), faced scrutiny.
  • In December 2023, the Income Tax Department conducted several raids on Congress MP Dhiraj Sahu's premises across districts in Odisha and Jharkhand, and over ₹351 Crores cash has been seized. The raid is continuing, and after the opening of the still closed lockers, this may be the biggest haul by the Income Tax Department of India.

See also

Further reading

  • Shourie, A. (2006). Indian Controversies. New Delhi: Rupa & Co.
  • In 2020, Real Estate Scam Fighters is formed with a basic mission to debunk various Frauds in the real estate sector and create awareness for the investors.