FIR lodged against FM Nirmala Sitharaman amid controversy over electoral bonds

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.
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.
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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).
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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.
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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.
(With PTI inputs)