Bengaluru Court Orders FIR Against Union FM Nirmala Sitharaman Over 'Extortion' Using Electoral Bonds

The Special Court for People's Representatives in Bengaluru issued the order, following which the police have registered an FIR against the finance minister and other individuals involved.

A Bengaluru court has directed the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in connection with allegations of extortion through the now-abolished electoral bonds scheme. The complaint, filed by Adarsh Iyer from the Janaadhikara Sangharsha Sanghatane, accuses Sitharaman and others of using the scheme for extortion purposes.

The Special Court for People's Representatives in Bengaluru issued the order, following which the police have registered an FIR against the finance minister and other individuals involved.

The electoral bonds scheme, introduced by the Centre in 2018, was aimed at bringing transparency to political donations by replacing cash contributions with these bonds. However, in February, the Supreme Court struck down the scheme, labeling it "unconstitutional" and stating that it infringed on citizens' right to information regarding political funding.

In a reaction to the case, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah called for Nirmala Sitharaman's resignation. Further, the CM also demanded a report on the matter within three months.

Siddaramaiah said that an FIR had been registered against Nirmala Sitharaman and the FIR was registered as they were involved in extortion through electoral bonds.

As a result, he demanded that she should resign now and questioned whether the BJP would ask her to do so.

Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy said, "The CM (Siddaramaiah) is asking for my and Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's resignation. They asked to file an FIR. Did the electoral bond money go to her personal account, why should she resign and why should I resign? You can't do anything in Gangenahalli denotification issue."