FIR lodged against Nirmala Sitharaman based on Bengaluru court order over electoral bonds scheme
A case has been filed against FM Nirmala Sitharaman and several others over the now-defunct electoral bonds scheme, following a Bengaluru court's order.
A special court's order in Bengaluru led to the filing of a case against Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and several others on Saturday, linked to the controversial electoral bonds scheme, which has since been abolished.
The FIR includes charges of extortion and criminal conspiracy against prominent BJP leaders and ED officials, including FM Nirmala Sitharaman. (File image) (PTI)
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An FIR has been lodged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including 384 (extortion), 120B (criminal conspiracy), and 34 (acts by multiple individuals with a shared intent), police said, according to news agency PTI.
This comes in the backdrop of a Bengaluru court's order, which directed the Tilak Nagar Police to file a case against the Union Finance Minister, following allegations of her involvement in extorting money through the now-defunct electoral bonds.
Among those implicated are key BJP figures, including Karnataka president B. Y. Vijayendra and party leader Nalin Kumar Kateel, along with officials from the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Adarsh R Iyer, the Co-President of 'Janaadhikaara Sangharsha Parishath' (JSP), filed a complaint claiming that the accused engaged in extortion disguised as electoral bonds, reaping over ₹8,000 crore. He further alleged that Nirmala Sitharaman, with covert assistance from ED officials, enabled the siphoning of vast amounts for the advantage of various individuals across state and national platforms, stating that this entire extortion scheme was colluded with BJP officials at multiple levels.
The controversy has also led to a political slugfest in the southern state of Karnataka, with the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government butting heads with the opposition BJP. CM Siddaramaiah, who is facing scrutiny in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site allotment “scam” case, called for Sitharaman's resignation and criticized the saffron party for not protesting against her alleged role in the electoral bonds scheme.
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.
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