29 MARCH 2017
Corruption, nepotism, Kashmir: Democracy Indian style?
India is the world’s largest democracy, but does it live up to that promise? Tim Sebastian meets Indian MP Shashi Tharoor on Conflict Zone
http://www.dw.com/en/corruption-nepotism-kashmir-democracy-indian-style/a-38194900
9 DECEMBER 2016
AgustaWestland: India ex-air force boss arrested for bribery
Police in India have arrested former air force chief SP Tyagi over allegations of corruption in a luxury helicopter deal with Anglo-Italian company AgustaWestland
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-38264957
9 NOVEMBER 2016
India’s ‘surgical strike’ against corruption
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared 500 and 1000-rupee banknotes as invalid overnight. Reactions from Indian citizens to the decision ranged from a panic of buying to calmly accepting the inconvenience
http://www.dw.com/en/indias-surgical-strike-against-corruption/a-36328881
http://gulfnews.com/news/asia/india/india-andhra-cm-naidu-claims-credit-for-currency-move-1.1927019
18 MARCH 2016
Despite Stumble, Technology Still a Powerful Weapon in India’s Anti-Corruption Fight
When Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept to majority power in 2014, the new prime minister promised immediate and sweeping reforms to curb corruption. Translating those promises to actions has been more difficult than Prime Minister Modi might have expected
http://cogitasia.com/despite-stumble-technology-still-a-powerful-weapon-in-indias-anti-corruption-fight/
27 JANUARY 2016
India’s leaders falling short of bold promises: Corruption Watchdog
Observing that India’s leaders “are falling short of their bold promises”, corruption watchdog Transparency International on Wednesday said that the index of corruption in the government for 2015 remained unchanged from the previous year
http://www.freepressjournal.in/indias-leaders-falling-short-of-bold-promises-watchdog/767121
09 APRIL 2015
India Satyam Computers: B Ramalinga Raju jailed for fraud
An Indian court has sentenced the former head of Satyam Computers and nine others to seven years in prison in one of the country’s biggest ever corporate scandals
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-32229847
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/04/indian-corporate-mogul-convicted-largest-fraud-case-150409144320551.html
29 OCTOBER 2014
India hunts for ‘black money’ kept abroad
India’s government has handed over the names of more than 600 Indians with foreign bank accounts to the Supreme Court after public outrage over rampant tax evasion.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2014/10/india-black-money-foreign-accounts-20141029134315523315.html
27 OCTOBER 2014
India reveals names in quest for hidden foreign assets
India’s government revealed Monday new names of seven people accused of illegally stashing funds in foreign bank accounts as it seeks to recover billions of untaxed dollars parked abroad.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/439930/india-reveals-names-in-quest-for-hidden-foreign-assets
28 FEBRUARY 2014
Subrata Roy: India detains Sahara group chief
One of India’s most flamboyant tycoons, Subrata Roy, has been taken into police custody after surrendering himself for arrest in a fraud case
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Sahara-chief-Subrata-Roy-arrested-in-Lucknow/articleshow/31151724.cms
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-26379739
14 FEBRUARY 2014
Delhi chief minister quits after corruption bill blocked
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, whose Aam Aadmi party sent shockwaves through India’s political establishment in local elections last year, quits to protest blocking of anti-corruption bill after fewer than 50 days in office http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/10639605/Delhi-chief-minister-quits-after-corruption-bill-blocked.html http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-26192983
3 FEBRUARY 2014
Sonia Gandhi, PM tainted by chopper scam as note reveals Agusta was advised to target top leaders to win contract
The Congress is likely to be hit by the AgustaWestland letter bomb in the Parliament with revelations that a middleman in the scrapped VVIP helicopter deal had advised targeting people close to UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, including the PM and some of her closest advisers, to win the contract.
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/agustawestland-vvip-chopper-scam-note-sonia-gandhi-manmohan-singh/1/341261.html?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=%2AAfPak%20Daily%20Brief&utm_campaign=South%20Asia%20Daily%202-3-14
31 JANUARY 2014
Indian Anti-Corruption Party Targets Ministers
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday named a string of high-ranking Indian politicians he described as corrupt and said his anti-graft Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) would target them in an upcoming general electionisgust over sleaze.
http://www.voanews.com/content/reu-indian-anti-corruption-party-targets-ministers/1841693.html
10 JANUARY 2014
India anti-corruption hotline overwhelmed by calls
An anti-corruption hotline launched by the Indian capital’s new graft-busting government was overwhelmed by thousands of calls on its first day, with the city’s top politician saying the response exceeded “all expectations.”
http://news.asiaone.com/news/asia/india-anti-corruption-hotline-overwhelmed-calls
1 JANUARY 2014
Indian president signs historic anti-graft law
India’s president took the final step to create a powerful anti-graft watchdog on Wednesday, signing it into law two years after a mass anti-corruption movement swept the country and galvanised politicians into action.
http://news.asiaone.com/news/asia/indian-president-signs-historic-anti-graft-law
18 DECEMBER 2013
India passes ‘historic’ anti-graft bill
In a historic move, India’s parliament has passed the Lokpal bill that will create the institution of an independent ombudsman to look into cases of corruption in government.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2013/12/india-set-pass-anti-graft-bill-20131218681152833.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/10524657/India-approves-anti-corruption-watchdog.html
3 DECEMBER 2013
The Free fall of Tarun Tejpal
The arrest of Tarun Tejpal, the founder and editor-in-chief of Tehelka magazine, for the alleged rape of a junior female employee, symbolizes the corruption that has poisoned India’s soul. Not too long ago, a woman was gang-raped and beaten unconscious a stone’s throw from the president’s opulent residence. She died soon after.
http://www.fairobserver.com/article/free-fall-tarun-tejpal
3 OCTOBER 2013
India corruption: Laloo Prasad Yadav jailed for five years
Lalu Prasad Yadav, a current member of India’s Parliament who is allied with the government, was also ordered on Thursday to pay a $40,000 fine after the special court in the eastern city of Ranchi convicted him of embezzling funds intended to buy food for cattle during his tenure as the top elected official in the state of Bihar in the mid-1990s.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2013/10/top-indian-politician-jailed-over-corruption-201310311227411304.html
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/372877/indian-ex-minister-sentenced-to-five-years-for-graft
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-24378032
30 SEPTEMBER 2013
Laloo Prasad Yadav: India ex-minister convicted in ‘fodder scam’
A former Indian minister, Laloo Prasad Yadav, has been sent to jail after he was convicted in a long-running corruption case.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-24327548
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/372282/india-court-convicts-ruling-party-ally-in-1990s-graft-case
27 SEPTEMBER 2013
India’s Rahul Gandhi says order on criminal politicians ‘nonsense’
Rahul Gandhi, senior leader of India’s ruling Congress, has said a move by his party’s government to protect convicted MPs is “complete nonsense”.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-24295768
3 SEPTEMBER 2013
India PM says ‘nothing to hide’ in corruption probe
India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh declared on Tuesday his embattled government has “nothing to hide” and was “making all efforts” to find missing files sought for a high-profile corruption probe.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/367805/india-pm-says-nothing-to-hide-in-corruption-probe
27 AUGUST 2013
India’s problem is with corruption, not poor growth models
The verbal duel between the two iconic Indian economists, Dr Jagdish Bhagwati and Dr Amartya Sen, has of late whipped up unprecedented attention in India’s media and could not have come at a more opportune moment — just ahead of the 2014 elections.
http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2013/08/27/indias-problem-is-with-corruption-not-poor-growth-models/
11 MAY 2013
India’s opposition calls on PM to resign
Demand for Manmohan Singh’s resignation comes after country’s law minister and railway minister are forced to step down. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2013/05/201351114194638324.html http://asiancorrespondent.com/107502/2-indian-ministers-resign-in-latest-govt-scandals/ http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/11/world/asia/pakistan-election/index.html?hpt=ias_c1
10 MAY 2013
India rail minister quits amid bribery claims
Unconfirmed resignation of PK Bansal may further damage reputation of scandal-hit government ahead of state elections. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2013/05/2013510142734461788.html
11 APRIL 2013
India Needs More Democracy, Not Less
Indians feel corruption now more than ever because of improved transparency: dirt is more visible where there is sunlight. Recently, agencies designed to increase government accountability, namely the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), have started to assert their independence. The CAG has eagerly brought to light scandals ranging from sweetheart deals for 2G telecommunications spectrum licenses to the murky distribution of coal mining licenses (leading to the scandal known as Coalgate). These institutions, and the vibrant and growing news media, have made it very difficult for the government to conduct its business as usual. http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/139157/milan-vaishnav/india-needs-more-democracy-not-less
3 MARCH 2013
Advani asks BJP not to tolerate corruption, indiscipline
Senior BJP leader L.K. Advani Sunday urged party chief Rajnath Singh to adopt “zero tolerance” against corruption and cautioned party leaders against indiscipline and speaking out of turn before TV cameras. http://www.sify.com/news/advani-asks-bjp-not-to-tolerate-corruption-indiscipline-news-national-nddwaebabci.html
26 FEBRUARY 2013
India orders probe into $750m Finmeccanica helicopter deal
India’s top investigative agency is looking into the role a former air force chief played in a $750 million helicopter contract marred by reports of bribery. http://asiancorrespondent.com/99474/india-helicopter-deal-finmeccanica/
13 FEBRUARY 2013
India bribery scandal threatens to ground $750-million copter deal
India’s defense minister threatened Wednesday to cancel a $750-million helicopter deal with an Italian defense company if an official investigation proves contracts were secured through kickbacks, in the latest corruption scandal to hit the Congress Party-led government in advance of a 2014 general election. http://www.latimes.com/news/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-india-helicopter-20120213,0,7057311.story?track=rss
12 FEBRUARY 2013
India’s CBI removes telecoms scandal prosecutor
India’s top investigation agency has removed a key member of its prosecution team from his post for alleged links with a suspect in a corruption scandal. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-21421977
4 NOVEMBER 2012
India’s ruling Congress party holds massive rally after slew of corruption scandals
The leaders of India’s ruling Congress party addressed a rare gathering of hundreds of thousands of supporters on Sunday, attempting to reclaim lost political ground after being battered by a series of corruption scandals.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/indias-ruling-congress-party-holds-massive-rally-after-a-slew-of-corruption-scandals/2012/11/04/2880d054-2669-11e2-ac64-5d52a2c5953e_story.html
29 OCTOBER 2012
UPA ‘institutionalises’ corruption: Modi
Joining the ruling BJP’s election campaign in Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today accused the Congress-led government at the Centre of “institutionalising corruption” and rewarding the corrupt.
http://www.thestatesman.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=428788&catid=36
2 OCTOBER 2012
Indian anti-corruption party launched
One of India’s most prominent anti-corruption campaigners launched a new political party on Tuesday, aiming to tap into a rich seam of public anger against the graft-tainted government
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/9581361/Indian-anti-corruption-party-launched.html
http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20121002-375086.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-19796415
10 SEPTEMBER 2012
Indian cartoonist jailed for mocking corruption
A political cartoonist whose drawings mock Indian government corruption has been jailed in a sedition investigation that was widely condemned as evidence of political leaders’ growing intolerance of criticism http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/9533671/Indian-cartoonist-jailed-for-mocking-corruption.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-19540565
4 SEPTEMBER 2012
‘Coalgate’ row: India police raid coal firms
Police in India have carried out raids across 10 cities as part of an investigation into alleged corruption in the allocation of coalfields.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-19472940
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-19463728
27 AUGUST 2012
Under fire, India’s prime minister defends no-bid coal awards
India’s beleaguered prime minister, Manmohan Singh, on Monday sought to defend allocations of coal fields without competitive bidding as opposition lawmakers called for his resignation over an audit report that says the exchequer may have lost up to $33 billion by not auctioning off the mines. http://edition.cnn.com/2012/08/27/world/asia/india-coal-scandal/index.html?hpt=ias_c2http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2012/08/201282710322557785.html
26 AUGUST 2012
India coal scandal: Hundreds protest against PM Singh
Police in the Indian capital Delhi have baton-charged hundreds of anti-corruption protesters angered by the government’s sale of coalfields without open bidding.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-19385949
22 AUGUST 2012
Indian opposition to block parliament until PM resigns
India’s opposition vowed on Wednesday to block parliamentary proceedings until the prime minister resigned over a coal scandal, raising the prospect of more legislative deadlock and stalled reform
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/1221464/1/.html
13 AUGUST 2012
India yoga guru detained at anti-graft rally
Celebrity activist Baba Ramdev arrested after speaking to 10,000 supporters during anti-corruption protest in New Delhi.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2012/08/201281311322393643.html http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20120813-365168.html
10 AUGUST 2012
Indian minister says bureaucrats ‘can steal a little’
A provincial minister in India’s most populous state has sparked a scandal after suggesting to bureaucrats that they could “steal a little” if they performed well in their duties.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/9467018/Indian-minister-says-bureaucrats-can-steal-a-little.html
3 AUGUST 2012
Corruption’s Reach in India Spawns New Political Party
The anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare and his team said Friday that they plan to create a “political alternative” for India in the form of a new political party. http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/03/corruptions-reach-in-india-spawns-new-political-party/?ref=asia
29 JULY 2012
Anna Hazare begins fifth hunger strike in 16 months
Anna Hazare, the Indian activist, began his fifth hunger strike in 16 months on Sunday as he pushes for strong anti-graft legislation.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/9436316/Anna-Hazare-begins-fifth-hunger-strike-in-16-months.html
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/1216398/1/.html
22 MARCH 2012
Singh under fire over new India scandal
India’s coalition government was rocked by a fresh corruption scandal on Thursday after it was accused of forgoing $210bn in potential revenues by selling coal assets too cheaply to some of the country’s top industrialists
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/aa9d2684-73f2-11e1-bcec-00144feab49a.html#axzz1pmwni98T
13 FEBRUARY 2012
India ‘loses $500bn to tax havens’
The chief of India’s federal investigation agency says Indians have illegally deposited an estimated $500bn in overseas tax havens
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-17013314
2 FEBRUARY 2012
India court cancels 122 telecom licences
The licences were issued by former minister A Raja, who is accused of mis-selling bandwidth in what has been called India’s biggest corruption scandal. Mr Raja denies wrongdoing http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-16848844
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/02/02/world/asia/india-phone-scandal/index.html?hpt=ias_c2
27 DECEMBER 2011
Indian anti-corruption activist begins fast
Government faces pressure from Hazare and opposition over bid to pass controversial law creating independent ombudsman
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2011/12/201112279553699244.html
http://www.english.rfi.fr/asia-pacific/20111227-india-anti-corruption-activist-anna-hazare-begins-fast-lokpal-bill-debated
14 DECEMBER 2011
India holds all-party meeting on anti-corruption bill
India’s government is holding a key all-party meeting to build consensus on a new anti-corruption bill
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-16172942
20 NOVEMBER 2011
Battle against corruption to continue: Advani
Seeking to corner the government on the issue of black money and daring it to come clean, BJP leader L.K. Advani on Sunday said that all NDA MPs will give a declaration during the Parliament session commencing next week stating that they do not possess any illegal wealth or bank accounts outside India
http://www.asianage.com/india/battle-against-corruption-continue-advani-392
11 NOVEMBER 2011
Ex-minister A. Raja on trial in India for corruption
A Raja, who was telecoms minister from 2007 to 2010, is the central figure in a case that has rocked Manmohan Singh’s administration and helped make corruption one of the country’s hottest political issues.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2011/11/201111116207854453.html
31 OCTOBER 2011
Once Revered, Business Icon is Now Reviled
Since federal prosecutors charged Rajat Gupta, a former managing director of McKinsey & Co., last week with securities fraud in New York, passionate debate has raged in India about his motives and his legacy. His stunning fall from grace has inspired everything from soul-searching to conspiracy theories to folksy explanations of the charges.
http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/31/once-revered-business-icon-is-now-reviled/?ref=asia
28 OCTOBER 2011
Corruption Scandals, Market Drops Hit India’s Rich
India’s 100 richest are nearly $60 billion poorer than they were last year, Forbes said Thursday in its annual wealth survey
http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/28/corruption-scandals-market-drops-hit-indias-rich/
15 OCTOBER 2011
India: BJP ex-chief minister arrested over kickbacks
A top Indian politician has been arrested over a multi-million dollar corruption scandal. BS Yeddyurappa, former chief minister of the southern state of Karnataka, has been accused of accepting kickbacks for selling government land.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-15322445
6 SEPTEMBER 2011
Indian MP arrested over bribery scandal
Indian police have arrested a high-profile member of parliament on charges that he bribed several lawmakers to support the government in a crucial confidence vote three years ago. Tuesday’s arrest of Amar Singh, in the so-called “cash-for-votes” case, brought immediate demands by opposition leaders for the Congress-led government to say who in its party was behind the alleged bribery.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2011/09/201196155349256188.html
25 AUGUST 2011
India graft: Four MPs are charged over ‘rigged’ vote
Four Indian MPs have been charged for their role in an alleged cash-for-votes scandal during a crucial confidence vote in 2008, police say.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-14649639
3 AUGUST 2011
Karnataka mining scandal: Yeddyurappa faces probe
The governor of India’s Karnataka state has ordered a criminal investigation against a former chief minister indicted in a mining scandal.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-14384315
27 APRIL 2011
Graft charge strains India’s ruling coalition
India’s top anti-graft agency has charged Tamil Nadu chief minister M. Karunanidhi’s favourite daughter in a multibillion-dollar telco scandal probe. Analysts warn this may open fissures between the Congress party-led government and its chief ally, Karunanidhi’s DMK Party.
http://www.asianewsnet.net/home/news.php?id=18634&sec=1
25 APRIL 2011
Indian games chief arrested in graft probe
Suresh Kalmadi, the Indian politician who presided over New Delhi’s controversial Commonwealth Games last year, has been arrested for allegedly fixing the contract for procuring equipment for the competition.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4177577a-6f51-11e0-952c-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1KZD7dsEb
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13194855
3 APRIL 2011
India telecoms minister and chiefs charged
India’s former telecommunications minister and senior industry executives have been charged over their suspected roles in rigging the award of telecoms licences. The action escalates the response to a corruption scandal that has both deeply
embarrassed and paralysed the government.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b5a01fb0-5e1c-11e0-b1d8-00144feab49a,dwp_uuid=a6dfcf08-9c79-11da-8762-0000779e2340.html#axzz1KZD7dsEb