Money & Power · Scandal on the Official Record
The Scams & Inquiries Register
Every entry here rests on a CAG finding, a commission of inquiry, or a court record — and carries its current legal status, from conviction to acquittal to a probe that found nothing. Each is attributed to the government of record as a dated fact, never a party score.
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In shortA register of scandals on the official record — CAG, commission, or court only — each showing where it actually landed. The pattern is not any one party; it is how rarely a headline becomes a conviction, and how many years it takes.
The famous loss figures are often presumptive estimates no court ever proved — 2G's ₹1.76 lakh crore ended in the acquittal of everyone. The biggest cases run for decades. And scandal sits under every government, at the centre and in the states alike.
This is a curated register of the best-anchored cases, not a list of every allegation ever made. The rule is strict: an entry exists only if it rests on a CAG report, a commission of inquiry, or a court record — and its current legal status is displayed, never buried. Where a case names the government in office, that is dated fact, not a scoreboard: this archive attributes to the government of record and never tallies a party's score. Every entry carries a tag from the Claims Ledger; the complete row-level data is the vault's data/scams.csv. The electoral-bonds scheme — struck down as unconstitutional in 2024 — is a constitutional invalidation, not an adjudicated scam, and is told in full on its own page rather than scored here.
The whole register at a glance
One row per era. Counts are of the 35 curated entries, by their current legal status.
| Era | ● Conv | ◑ Mixed | ○ Acq | ◐ Pend | — No conv | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948–1989 | 2 | — | — | — | 8 | 10 |
| 1990–2009 | 8 | — | 3 | — | 1 | 12 |
| 2010–2024 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 13 |
| All eras | 11 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 35 |
How to read the register
Each entry carries two independent marks. The legal status is badged achromatically, so it never competes with the evidence dyes: ● Convicted a conviction was secured and stands · ◑ Mixed convictions and acquittals together, or a major court action short of a completed conviction · ○ Acquitted tried or probed, no wrongdoing sustained · ◐ Pending under trial or investigation, no verdict · — No conviction an inquiry documented irregularity but no criminal conviction ever resulted. Separately, the evidence tag rates the core claim — Documented the scandal is officially established, Contested a real basis but disputed, Unsupported the allegation the record did not sustain. Inclusion in this register is not a finding of guilt — an acquittal or a pending trial is shown as exactly that, and living persons are described only as the verdicts and official record describe them.
Era by era
Each scandal with its government of record, the official body that anchors it, and where it actually landed.
1948–198910 entries · 2 convicted · 8 no conviction
| Scandal & allegation | Status | What the record shows |
|---|---|---|
| Mudgal parliamentary briberyThe republic's first corruption case: MP H.G. Mudgal was found to have taken money and benefits from the Bombay Bullion Association to promote its interests in Parliament.1951 · PM Jawaharlal Nehru (INC) · Union | — No conviction | The House committee established the misconduct; facing an expulsion motion, Mudgal resigned on 24 Sep 1951. No criminal prosecution followed.Amount: undisclosed payments / benefits (none)Anchor: Lok Sabha Special Committee report (chair T.T. Krishnamachari), 1951 — Parliamentary Special Committee Documented |
| Jeep purchase scandalIndia's first big defence-purchase scandal: an ₹80-lakh jeep contract went to a thinly-capitalised London firm with most of the money paid in advance; only about 155 jeeps arrived.1948 (inquiry 1951; closed 1955) · PM Jawaharlal Nehru (INC); V.K. Krishna Menon, High Commissioner to the UK · Union | — No conviction | The committee found the contract bypassed procedure, but the demand for a judicial inquiry was closed by the government in 1955 and no one was prosecuted; Menon joined the Union cabinet in 1956.Amount: ₹80 lakh (contract) (actual)Anchor: Ananthasayanam Ayyangar Committee of Inquiry, report 1951 — Ayyangar Committee (PAC-linked) Contested |
| Mundhra–LIC scandalState-owned LIC was pressured into buying about ₹1.26 crore of shares in industrialist Haridas Mundhra's companies, bypassing its own investment committee — independent India's first major financial scandal.1957–58 · PM Jawaharlal Nehru (INC); FM T.T. Krishnamachari · Union | ● Convicted | Justice Chagla held the purchase improper; Haridas Mundhra was convicted of fraud and jailed, and FM T.T. Krishnamachari resigned on ministerial responsibility (not found personally corrupt).Amount: ₹1.26 crore (LIC investment) (actual)Anchor: M.C. Chagla Commission of Inquiry, 1958 — Chagla Commission; trial courts Documented |
| Dalmia–Jain (Bharat Insurance) fraudIndustrialist Ramkrishna Dalmia siphoned funds from Bharat Insurance Co. — a private-sector fraud probed by a landmark government commission.acts ~1947–55; conviction 1962 · PM Jawaharlal Nehru (INC) · Union (GoI commission) | ● Convicted | Dalmia was convicted of criminal breach of trust and jailed; the Supreme Court upheld the conviction in 1962.Amount: criminal breach of trust (₹ crores) (actual)Anchor: Vivian Bose Commission of Inquiry (1956); R.K. Dalmia v Delhi Administration, AIR 1962 SC 1821 — Vivian Bose Commission; Supreme Court Documented |
| Partap Singh Kairon inquiryPrompted by the Supreme Court, an inquiry examined charges that the Punjab CM abused office to benefit his family and associates.1963–64 · Punjab CM Partap Singh Kairon (INC); PM Nehru (INC) · State (Punjab) | — No conviction | The commission substantiated some charges and cleared most; Kairon resigned as CM in 1964 with no criminal prosecution, and was assassinated in 1965.Amount: none quantified (none)Anchor: S.R. Das Commission of Inquiry (former CJI S.R. Das), report 11 Jun 1964 — S.R. Das Commission Contested |
| Nagarwala / SBI ₹60-lakh caseA man allegedly impersonated the PM's voice by phone to make a State Bank cashier hand over ₹60 lakh; the rushed trial and the PMO's role were later questioned.1971 (commission 1977–78) · PM Indira Gandhi (INC) · Union | — No conviction | Nagarwala was convicted (4 yrs) in a hasty 1971 trial and died in custody in 1972; the 1978 commission faulted the investigation but found no evidence the money was the PM's.Amount: ₹60 lakh (actual)Anchor: Justice P. Jaganmohan Reddy Commission of Inquiry, 1978; 1971 trial-court conviction — Jaganmohan Reddy Commission; trial court Contested |
| Maruti affairAn industrial licence and cheap land were secured for Sanjay Gandhi's Maruti car project through rule-bending and official pressure (unrelated to the later public-sector Maruti Udyog).1970s (commission 1979) · PM Indira Gandhi (INC); Haryana CM Bansi Lal (INC) · Union + State (Haryana) | — No conviction | The commission found rules were bent and records fabricated, but produced no criminal conviction; Sanjay Gandhi died in 1980 and the company was wound up.Amount: no single figure (none)Anchor: Commission of Inquiry on Maruti Affairs (Justice A.C. Gupta), 1979 — A.C. Gupta Commission Documented |
| Antulay cement & trusts caseThe CM was accused of making builders donate to trusts he controlled in return for discretionary cement allocations.1980–82 (litigation to 2000s) · Maharashtra CM A.R. Antulay (INC); PM Indira Gandhi (INC) · State (Maharashtra) | — No conviction | The trial court discharged him in 1984; the 1988 seven-judge ruling struck down his fast-tracked High Court trial and sent it back, but the prosecution never secured a conviction. Antulay later served as a Union minister (2004–09).Amount: builder payments to CM-controlled trusts (disputed) (disputed)Anchor: R.S. Nayak v A.R. Antulay, (1984) 2 SCC 183; A.R. Antulay v R.S. Nayak, (1988) 2 SCC 602 — Courts (Special Judge; Bombay HC; Supreme Court) Contested |
| Bofors howitzer kickbacksSweden's state radio alleged ₹64 crore in kickbacks to win the ₹1,437-crore contract for 400 Bofors 155mm howitzers — the scandal that dominated the 1989 election.1986–87 (litigation to date) · PM Rajiv Gandhi (INC) · Union | — No conviction | CAG flagged the last-minute switch to Bofors and large commissions, but every accused was discharged or died and the CBI's own appeal was dismissed by the Supreme Court in 2018 — no one was ever convicted.Amount: ₹64 crore (alleged kickbacks); ₹1,437 crore (contract) (contract actual; kickback never judicially proven)Anchor: JPC (1988); CAG report to Parliament (1989); Delhi HC 2004 & 2005; SC order 2 Nov 2018 — JPC; CAG; CBI; Delhi HC; Supreme Court Contested |
| HDW submarine commissionsThe German HDW submarine contract was found to carry a roughly 7% 'commission' barred under Indian policy; HDW was blacklisted.contract 1981; scandal 1987 · Contract under PM Indira Gandhi (INC); allegations under PM Rajiv Gandhi (INC) · Union | — No conviction | The CBI filed an FIR naming seven but ultimately closed the case for insufficient evidence; no one was charged to conviction.Amount: ~₹32 crore (alleged commission); ~₹400 crore (contract) (contract actual; payoff unproven)Anchor: CBI FIR (May 1990), later closed for insufficient evidence — CBI Contested |
1990–200912 entries · 8 convicted · 3 acquitted · 1 no conviction
| Scandal & allegation | Status | What the record shows |
|---|---|---|
| Harshad Mehta securities scamStockbroker Harshad Mehta diverted an estimated ₹4,000 crore of inter-bank funds into the stock market using fake bank receipts, triggering a market crash.1991–92 · PM P.V. Narasimha Rao (INC) · Union (banking / securities) | ● Convicted | A JPC detailed the fraud; Mehta was convicted in a few cases but died in judicial custody in 2001 with most of his ~27 criminal cases still untried.Amount: ~₹4,000 crore (disputed estimate)Anchor: JPC on Securities & Banking Transactions (1993); Special Court (TORTS) Act 1992; SC — JPC; Special Court, Bombay; CBI Documented |
| Jain Hawala (the hawala diaries)Loose diary entries seized from the Jain brothers appeared to record hawala payouts to a long list of senior politicians across parties.1991–96 (chargesheets 1996) · PM P.V. Narasimha Rao (INC) · Union | ○ Acquitted | Nearly all the accused — across parties — were discharged because the diaries were held not to be legally admissible evidence; the case's lasting result was the 1998 Vineet Narain judgment mandating CBI/CVC autonomy.Amount: ~₹65 crore alleged payouts (alleged)Anchor: Vineet Narain v Union of India, (1998) 1 SCC 226; Delhi HC discharges 1997–98 — CBI (under SC monitoring) Contested |
| JMM MPs vote-for-cashJMM and other MPs were allegedly paid to vote against a 1993 no-confidence motion that saved the government.1993 · PM P.V. Narasimha Rao (INC) · Union | ○ Acquitted | The Supreme Court (1998) held the bribe-taking MPs who voted had constitutional immunity, so no one was convicted; in 2024 a seven-judge bench overruled that immunity for the future, but did not reopen the acquittals.Amount: ~₹3 crore alleged (alleged)Anchor: P.V. Narasimha Rao v State, (1998) 4 SCC 626; Delhi HC 2002; Sita Soren v Union of India, 2024 INSC 161 — CBI; Special Judge; Supreme Court Documented |
| Sukh Ram telecom caseThe Union telecom minister was caught with unaccounted cash and found to have taken a bribe over a telecom-equipment contract.1996 · PM P.V. Narasimha Rao (INC); Sukh Ram, Communications Minister · Union | ● Convicted | Sukh Ram was convicted in three cases, including a 5-year term for taking a ₹3-lakh bribe (upheld on appeal); he died in 2021.Amount: ₹3 lakh bribe; ₹4.25 crore disproportionate assets (actual (proven))Anchor: CBI; Delhi court convictions 2002 / 2009 / 2011; Delhi HC upheld — CBI Documented |
| Urea import scamNational Fertilizers paid ₹133 crore in advance for 2 lakh tonnes of urea that was never delivered.1995–96 (convictions 2018) · PM P.V. Narasimha Rao (INC) · Union (PSU — National Fertilizers) | ● Convicted | After a 22-year trial, a CBI court in 2018 convicted several accused — including relatives of the then fertilisers minister and of the PM — a textbook case of justice arriving decades late.Amount: ₹133 crore (actual (money paid, undelivered))Anchor: CBI RC (19 May 1996); CBI special-court convictions (2018) — CBI; special CBI court Documented |
| Fodder scam (Bihar)Officials and politicians drew an estimated ₹950 crore from the state treasury against fabricated animal-husbandry bills.~1990–96 (convictions 2013–22) · Bihar CMs Lalu Prasad Yadav (Janata Dal / RJD) and earlier Jagannath Mishra (INC) — spans governments · State (Bihar; tried in Jharkhand) | ● Convicted | One of the few big scams with sustained convictions: Lalu Prasad was convicted across five separate cases (2013–2022) and jailed; some earlier withdrawals occurred under a Congress CM too.Amount: ~₹950 crore (estimate) (overall estimate; per-case amounts proven)Anchor: CBI (Patna HC-ordered); special CBI courts, Ranchi — convictions from 2013 — CBI; special CBI courts Documented |
| Tehelka defence stingA hidden-camera sting filmed the ruling party's president and others taking cash to clear a fictitious defence supplier.2001 (conviction 2012) · PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee (NDA); Bangaru Laxman, BJP president · Union (defence procurement) | ● Convicted | Bangaru Laxman was convicted and sentenced to 4 years in 2012 (he died in 2014); Jaya Jaitly and two others were convicted in 2020.Amount: ₹1 lakh (Bangaru Laxman) (actual (on camera))Anchor: CBI special-court convictions — Bangaru Laxman (2012), Jaya Jaitly & ors (2020); Venkataswami / Phukan Commission — Commission of Inquiry; CBI; special court Documented |
| Kargil 'coffin' scamThe CAG flagged aluminium caskets for Kargil war dead as bought at roughly 13× a justified price — but the viral '₹24,000 crore' figure is a myth; the actual sums were small.1999–2000 (CAG 2001) · PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee (NDA); Defence Minister George Fernandes · Union (defence) | ○ Acquitted | The CBI court discharged all the accused in 2013 for want of evidence; the case is best known for how badly its scale was exaggerated in the retelling.Amount: caskets ~US$2,500 each (no large quantified loss) (CAG-flagged overpricing; no big loss figure)Anchor: CAG report (2001); special CBI court discharge (Dec 2013) — CAG; CBI; special CBI court Contested |
| Ketan Parekh stock scamBroker Ketan Parekh rigged a set of 'K-10' stocks with bank-borrowed money; the collapse took down the Madhavpura cooperative bank.1998–2001 · PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee (NDA) · Union (securities) | ● Convicted | SEBI barred Parekh from the market for 14 years and a CBI court convicted him of cheating in 2014.Amount: ~₹1,200 crore (MMCB exposure) (disputed estimate)Anchor: SEBI orders (14-yr ban); JPC (2002); CBI special-court conviction (2014) — SEBI; JPC; CBI Documented |
| Taj Heritage Corridor caseThe CBI alleged funds were released for a riverfront project near the Taj Mahal without the required clearances.2002–03 · Uttar Pradesh CM Mayawati (BSP) · State (Uttar Pradesh) | — No conviction | The Governor refused sanction to prosecute the CM; the proceedings were dropped and the drop upheld on appeal, so no charge ever stood.Amount: ~₹17 crore released (of a ₹175-crore project) (alleged)Anchor: CBI; special CBI court (2007); Allahabad HC (2012) — CBI; courts Contested |
| Telgi fake stamp-paper scamAbdul Karim Telgi ran a nationwide counterfeit stamp-paper racket with official and police complicity.~1994–2002 · Multi-state (Maharashtra & Karnataka), successive governments of different parties · State (multi-state) | ● Convicted | Telgi and associates were convicted and sentenced to 30 years; he died in 2017. The headline scale remains a disputed estimate.Amount: estimated ₹20,000–30,000 crore (disputed) (disputed estimate)Anchor: Special Investigation Team (STAMPIT); court convictions (2006–07) — SIT; CBI Documented |
| Satyam Computers fraudSatyam's founder confessed to inflating the company's profits and assets by over ₹7,000 crore — India's biggest corporate-accounting fraud, probed by government agencies.to 2009 (conviction 2015) · PM Manmohan Singh (INC / UPA); company in Andhra Pradesh · Union / corporate | ● Convicted | Ramalinga Raju and nine others were convicted in 2015 (7 years each); appeals are pending.Amount: ~₹7,136 crore (actual (admitted))Anchor: SFIO; SEBI order (2014); CBI special-court judgment (9 Apr 2015) — SFIO; SEBI; CBI Documented |
2010–202413 entries · 1 convicted · 4 mixed · 2 acquitted · 4 pending · 2 no conviction
| Scandal & allegation | Status | What the record shows |
|---|---|---|
| 2G spectrum allocationTelecom licences were issued in 2008 at 2001 prices, first-come-first-served; the CAG later put the notional revenue forgone at up to ₹1.76 lakh crore.licences 2008 (CAG 2010; acquittals 2017) · PM Manmohan Singh (INC / UPA); Telecom Minister A. Raja (DMK) · Union (telecom) | ○ Acquitted | The Supreme Court cancelled 122 licences as illegal in 2012, but in 2017 the CBI special court acquitted A. Raja and all others — the ₹1.76-lakh-crore figure was presumptive and never proven. The CBI/ED appeal was admitted by the Delhi HC in 2024 and is pending; the acquittal stands.Amount: up to ₹1.76 lakh crore (CAG presumptive estimate (never judicially established))Anchor: CAG Report 19 of 2010-11; SC (2012) 3 SCC 1 (quashed 122 licences); CBI-court judgment 21 Dec 2017 — CAG; CBI; ED; JPC; SC-monitored Contested |
| Commonwealth Games 2010The CAG and a high-level committee documented large-scale irregularity and inflated contracts in staging the Delhi Games.2010 (CAG 2011) · PM Manmohan Singh (INC / UPA); Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit (INC) · Union + Delhi | — No conviction | Irregularities were documented, but the criminal cases largely collapsed: organising-committee chief Suresh Kalmadi was never convicted (the CBI case was closed and the ED case accepted as closed in 2025); only two minor contractor convictions resulted, both under appeal.Amount: no single proven loss (disputed / none proven)Anchor: CAG Report 6 of 2011-12; Shunglu Committee — CAG; Shunglu Committee; CBI; ED Contested |
| Coal block allocation ('Coalgate')Coal blocks were allocated without competitive bidding; the CAG estimated a notional gain to allottees of ₹1.86 lakh crore (while stating it found no corruption in the allocation itself).allocations 1993–2010; SC 2014 · Spanned successive governments; the bulk under PM Manmohan Singh (INC / UPA), who held the coal portfolio 2006–09 · Union | ◑ Mixed | Unlike 2G, this produced real results: the Supreme Court cancelled 214 blocks and CBI courts have secured 19 convictions (including a former coal secretary and an ex-CM) — alongside acquittals in other blocks. The ₹1.86-lakh-crore headline stayed a notional estimate.Amount: ₹1.86 lakh crore (CAG presumptive estimate)Anchor: CAG Report 7 of 2012-13; SC (2014) 9 SCC 516 — cancelled 214 of 218 blocks — CAG; CBI (SC-monitored); PAC Documented |
| Adarsh Housing SocietyA Mumbai tower meant for war widows and defence personnel was found to have gone largely to politicians, bureaucrats and military officers through eligibility and clearance violations.~2000–2010 (scandal 2010) · Maharashtra, successive INC / INC–NCP governments; CM Ashok Chavan (INC) resigned Nov 2010 · State (Maharashtra) | ◐ Pending | The commission found irregularities, but the prosecution of CM Ashok Chavan collapsed when the Bombay HC quashed the sanction to prosecute (2023); the CBI trial of the remaining accused is pending, with no convictions to date.Amount: land / eligibility / FSI violations (no single figure) (none / disputed)Anchor: Adarsh Commission of Inquiry (2-member); CBI; Bombay HC — Adarsh Commission; CBI; ED Documented |
| AgustaWestland VVIP choppersThe ₹3,600-crore purchase of 12 VVIP helicopters allegedly carried around ₹360 crore in kickbacks; the contract was scrapped.contract 2010 (scandal 2013) · PM Manmohan Singh (INC / UPA) · Union (defence) | ◐ Pending | There has been no Indian conviction; the alleged middleman was extradited in 2018 and granted bail by the Supreme Court in 2025, while an Italian appeals court had acquitted the manufacturer's executives of corruption — the Indian trials are pending.Amount: ~₹360 crore alleged (₹3,600 cr contract) (alleged)Anchor: CBI & ED chargesheets; Italian (Milan) court proceedings; SC bail order (2025) — CBI; ED; Italian judiciary Contested |
| Antrix–Devas S-band dealA satellite-spectrum deal between ISRO's commercial arm and a private firm was annulled; Indian courts later held the firm was incorporated for fraud.deal 2005; annulled 2011; SC 2022 · Signed and annulled under PM Manmohan Singh (INC / UPA) · Union | ◑ Mixed | Indian courts wound the company up for fraud, but foreign tribunals have upheld large arbitral awards against India and enforcement continues abroad; the domestic CBI/ED cases are pending.Amount: ~₹1,400 crore spectrum; ~US$1.2 bn arbitration exposure (disputed)Anchor: CAG report (2011); SC Devas v Antrix (17 Jan 2022, fraud); SC (Oct 2023) — CAG; CBI; ED; NCLT / NCLAT Documented |
| Saradha & Rose Valley chit fundsPonzi-style deposit schemes collapsed, wiping out the savings of lakhs of small investors.collapse 2013 · West Bengal, CM Mamata Banerjee (TMC) at collapse; schemes grew across Left Front and TMC years · State (West Bengal) | ◐ Pending | The Ponzi collapse and the arrests are established, but the criminal trials are largely stalled with few final convictions more than a decade on; refunds continue slowly.Amount: Saradha ~₹2,500 cr; Rose Valley ~₹15,000 cr (est.) (disputed (investor collections))Anchor: SEBI orders; SC order directing CBI probe (9 May 2014); ED (PMLA) — SEBI; CBI; ED; SC-monitored Documented |
| NRHM scam (Uttar Pradesh)An estimated ₹4,900 crore of National Rural Health Mission funds was misappropriated — a case shadowed by several unsolved deaths of officials.2005–11 · UP — SP government (CM Mulayam Singh Yadav) then BSP government (CM Mayawati) · State (Uttar Pradesh) | ◐ Pending | The CBI filed chargesheets against a former minister and a health secretary, but trials are slow and the final conviction record is limited; the misappropriation spans SP and BSP governments.Amount: ~₹4,900 crore (estimate) (CAG estimate / disputed)Anchor: CAG findings; Allahabad HC order for CBI probe (2011); CBI chargesheets — CAG; CBI (HC-monitored) Documented |
| Vyapam recruitment scamEntrance exams and government-job recruitment were rigged for bribes on an industrial scale through a state examination board.~2008–13 (exposed 2013) · Madhya Pradesh, CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan (BJP) · State (Madhya Pradesh) | ● Convicted | One of the few scam complexes with sustained convictions — CBI courts have jailed hundreds of candidates, middlemen and officials; the case is also marked by dozens of associated deaths never judicially tied to one conspiracy.Amount: no single loss figure (exam / recruitment rigging) (none)Anchor: SC order handing probe to CBI (9 Jul 2015); CBI special-court judgments — MP STF / SIT; CBI (SC-monitored) Documented |
| Bellary illegal miningThe state Lokayukta documented massive illegal iron-ore mining and export around Bellary, estimating losses over ₹12,000 crore.~2006–11 (Lokayukta 2011) · Karnataka, CM B.S. Yeddyurappa (BJP) · State (Karnataka) | — No conviction | The Lokayukta report forced the CM's resignation and the Supreme Court curbed mining, but the criminal cases have mostly ended in bail, clean chits or quashings, with few convictions of the principals.Amount: >₹12,000 crore (Lokayukta estimate) (Lokayukta estimate / disputed)Anchor: Karnataka Lokayukta report (Justice Santosh Hegde, 27 Jul 2011); SC / CEC proceedings — Lokayukta; SC-appointed CEC; CBI Documented |
| PNB letters-of-undertaking fraudJeweller Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi allegedly obtained ₹13,578 crore in credit from Punjab National Bank through fraudulent letters of undertaking.2011–17 (surfaced 2018) · Fraud spans PM Manmohan Singh (UPA) and PM Narendra Modi (NDA); detected 2018 under the NDA government · Union | ◑ Mixed | Both were declared Fugitive Economic Offenders and had assets confiscated; extradition has been ordered (Nirav Modi in the UK, Choksi in Belgium) but neither had been returned to India as of 2026, and there is no trial-on-merits conviction yet.Amount: ₹13,578 crore (actual exposure (per chargesheets))Anchor: CBI & ED chargesheets; PMLA / FEO court orders; UK & Belgian extradition rulings — CBI; ED; PMLA court Documented |
| Kingfisher Airlines loan defaultVijay Mallya's Kingfisher Airlines defaulted on roughly ₹9,000 crore of bank loans that were allegedly diverted.2005–12 (prosecution 2016–) · Loans under PM Manmohan Singh (UPA); prosecution under PM Narendra Modi (NDA) · Union | ◑ Mixed | Mallya was declared the first Fugitive Economic Offender and convicted of contempt by the Supreme Court (2022); UK extradition was approved in 2019 but remains stalled, and the substantive fraud trial is unfinished.Amount: ~₹9,000 crore default (actual (loan default))Anchor: CBI & ED chargesheets; PMLA / FEO (2019); SC contempt judgment (2022); UK extradition rulings — CBI; ED; PMLA court; Supreme Court Documented |
| Rafale procurement (allegation not sustained)Allegations of overpricing and favouritism in the ₹59,000-crore purchase of 36 Rafale jets — included here as the register's test of its own discipline: what happens when the official record does not sustain the claim.deal 2016; SC 2018–19 · PM Narendra Modi (NDA) · Union (defence) | ○ Acquitted | The Supreme Court twice declined to order any investigation, finding no evidence of favouritism, and the CAG found the package marginally cheaper than the earlier deal — the outcome on the official record is 'no case found'.Amount: ₹59,000 crore (contract); overpricing alleged, not established (no loss established)Anchor: SC (14 Dec 2018) declined a probe; review dismissed 14 Nov 2019; CAG Report 3 of 2019 — Supreme Court (PIL); CAG Unsupported |
What the register shows — the system, not a scoreboard
1. The headline number is rarely the proven number. The famous sums — 2G's ₹1.76 lakh crore, Coalgate's ₹1.86 lakh crore — are CAG estimates of revenue forgone, not amounts a court found stolen; the CAG said as much about coal, and 2G ended in the acquittal of everyone charged. A presumptive loss is an accounting estimate, not a verdict.
2. Justice is measured in decades. Bofors ran for more than thirty years to no conviction; the urea scam needed a twenty-two-year trial to reach one; the biggest cases outlast the governments that made them. For the powerful, delay is not a flaw in the machinery — it is the outcome.
3. It sits under every government, at every level. The attribution column alone spans Congress, Janata and RJD, BJP, BSP, SP and TMC governments, union and state alike — which is the whole point. The machine that produces scandal, and then so rarely punishes it, is bipartisan and structural, not the property of any party.
4. Convictions happen — but cluster on the clear-cut. Where the act is caught on camera (Tehelka), on a counterfeit stamp (Telgi) or in a rigged recruitment ledger (Vyapam), the courts convict. Where guilt turns on proving a political quid pro quo — Bofors, 2G — the case usually collapses.
Caveats kept in view
- This is a curated register, not a census. Inclusion means a CAG/commission/court anchor exists — not that guilt is proven. A case a reader expects may be absent for want of an official-record anchor.
- Presumptive-loss figures are estimates. The 2G, Coalgate and NRHM headline sums are CAG estimates of revenue forgone, shown beside the judicial outcome — never as a proven theft.
- Pending is not guilty. A chargesheet or an ED naming is an allegation; cases still at trial are marked Pending, and living persons are described only as the official record and verdicts describe them.
- Two large live matters are deliberately left out — the Mahadev betting-app case and the National Herald / Young Indian prosecution. Both are at the naming or early-cognizance stage against living leaders, with no finding on record, and this archive does not publish an allegation as a scam.
- The bank-and-deposit-fraud wave is noted, not scored — IL&FS, DHFL, ABG Shipyard, Sahara and PACL sit on the SFIO/SEBI/CBI record, mostly under trial or in slow court-monitored recovery.
Sources
- The judgments and reports: Supreme Court and High Court judgments; Comptroller & Auditor General reports; Commissions of Inquiry (Chagla, Vivian Bose, Jaganmohan Reddy, A.C. Gupta, S.R. Das, Shunglu, Adarsh); the Karnataka Lokayukta; Joint Parliamentary Committees; SEBI and SFIO orders; CBI and ED case records.
- Current legal status reverified against 2024–2026 reporting (The Hindu, Times of India, The Print, Indian Express, BBC) and the primary judgments — extradition and appeal statuses move, and were confirmed rather than assumed.
- Every entry is tagged in the Claims Ledger; the complete row-level data is the vault's
data/scams.csv.