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FIR Filed Against Sitharaman, Nadda for Electoral Bond Misuse
The Tilak Nagar Police have registered an FIR against Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, BJP national president J.P. Nadda, and other senior BJP leaders, alleging misuse of the electoral bond scheme for extortion. The FIR, registered on Saturday (September 28, 2024), comes following a directive from the court.
The accused have been charged under sections 384 (punishment for extortion) and 120B (criminal conspiracy), read with 34 (acts done with common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The FIR was filed based on a private complaint by Adarsh R. Iyer, co-president of the Janaadhikaara Sangharsha Parishath (JSP), who accused Ms. Sitharaman and others of compelling companies to purchase electoral bonds through the use of enforcement agencies. The complaint alleges that the accused used their positions to extort money from companies, amounting to over ₹8,000 crore.
The complaint also names the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Karnataka BJP president B.Y. Vijayendra, and senior leader Naleen Kumar Kateel as co-conspirators. According to Mr. Iyer, the scheme was executed with the cooperation of BJP officials at various levels, both in the state and at the national level.
Mr. Iyer stated that Ms. Sitharaman, with the help of ED officials, leveraged the electoral bond scheme to extort funds from corporates by conducting raids, seizures, and arrests of top executives. Fearing further action, several companies were allegedly forced to buy electoral bonds worth crores of rupees, which were then encashed by the accused BJP leaders.
The complainant initially approached the jurisdictional Tilak Nagar police station on March 30, 2024, and subsequently the DCP Bengaluru South East in April 2024. However, after receiving no response, Mr. Iyer moved the court and filed a private complaint seeking necessary action from the Special Court exclusively handling criminal cases related to elected MPs/MLAs in Karnataka.
The FIR alleges that the entire scheme was a coordinated extortion racket orchestrated under the guise of the electoral bond scheme, benefiting BJP leaders financially while coercing companies into compliance.
This high-profile case is expected to attract considerable attention as the investigation progresses, given the serious nature of the charges and the involvement of top political figures.
