Thursday, July 19, 2012

Jeep purchase scandal: Independent India's first big corruption scandal



Jeep purchase scandal is about the issue of bypassing protocol by VK Krishna Menon, the then High Commissioner for India in London to sign a deal worth Rs 80 lakh with a foreign firm for the purchase of army jeeps. Inquiry Committee led by Ananthsayanam Ayyangar was formed to look in to the issue which gave the suggestion of judicial inquiry. The opposition also demanded judicial inquiry which was ignored and closed the case on September 30, 1955. On this matter Union Minister of that time Govind Ballabh Pant said "that as far as Government was concerned it has made up its mind to close the matter. If the opposition is not satisfied they can make it an election issue." Soon after the case was closed VK Krishna Menon was inducted into the Nehru cabinet as minister without portfolio and later he became the defense minister who was very close to Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. 
Thus our first corruption scandal came to an end with out taking any action against the accused.