Bengaluru Court Orders Registration Of FIR Against Nirmala Sitharaman Over Alleged Extortion Using Electoral Bonds

A Bengaluru Special Court on Friday has directed filing of an FIR against Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on the basis of a complaint accusing her of extortion through extortion through the now-scrapped electoral bonds scheme. The petition was filed by Adarsh Iyer of the Janaadhikara Sangharsha Sanghatane (JSP) and also named Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) National President J P Nadda amongst others. The petition alleged that through electoral bonds, BJP leaders had orchestrated an extortion racket. The complaint also named two more BJP leaders from Karnataka - Naleen Kumar Kateel and BY Vijayendra. According to complainant Adarsh Iyer, big corporates were allegedly coerced to pump in money into BJP through electoral bonds under the garb of raids conducted by Enforcement Directorate as part of larger pressure tactic.

Supreme Court of India, earlier this year had scrapped the electoral bonds, calling them “unconstitutional”. Details furnished before the court by State Bank of India also indicated that BJP had been the single largest beneficiary of the overall electoral bonds purchased by people and entities. BJP had, however defended electoral bonds as nothing but a transparent process.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has lashed out at the BJP government at the Centre and demanded resignation of Nirmala Sitharaman. “Yesterday a Special People’s Court in Bengaluru ordered the registration of an FIR against Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in connection with the election bond scam. According to BJP leaders, Nirmala Sitharaman should also resign now, right”, said Siddaramaiah while addressing a press conference in Mysore, taking a jibe at Karnataka BJP for demanding his resignation following a Special Court order directing a Lokayukta police probe against him in an alleged site allotment case. “If there is an impartial investigation into this case, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also have to resign. Let Kumaraswamy, who is on bail, also resign," he added.

JDS leader and union minister HD Kumaraswamy, retorted to Siddaramaiah’s statement and questioned the rationale between what the court had asked to do and what the chief minister was asking for.
“Has the money landed in Sitharaman’s personal account? CM asking for my and Nirmala Sitharaman's resignation? Yes, the Court asked to file an FIR but did that electoral bond money go to her personal account? Why should she resign and why should I resign?” asked Kumaraswamy​