Odisha Police have expanded their investigation linked to an FIR against Rahul Gandhi by asking the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation to furnish a year-wise account of all foreign contributions and detailed financial records dating back to its establishment in 1991.
A formal notice issued by the Jharsuguda Police to the foundation’s finance head seeks the quantum of foreign funds received “since its inception on June 21, 1991,” the bank accounts in which such funds were deposited, and particulars of authorised signatories including addresses and contact numbers. It also asks for the foundation’s Foreign Contribution Regulation Act licence and the names and contacts of its auditors. Non-compliance, the notice warns, may attract penal action under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Probe into RGF funding widened to 1991.
Investigators have additionally sought clarifications on allegations that the foundation received a donation from preacher Zakir Naik in 2011 and about $300,000 from Chinese government sources in 2005–06, asking RGF to justify the purpose and utilisation of any such funds if the claims are accurate. The letter also raises an allegation concerning diversion of the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund during the UPA years and requests documentary explanations. A deadline has been set for submission, with an appearance by a senior finance official also sought.
The financial inquiry forms part of a wider probe into a case registered in Jharsuguda earlier this year against Rahul Gandhi over remarks alleged to be “anti-national.” The FIR, filed in February, cites provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including Section 152 on threats to sovereignty and Section 197 on dissemination of information impacting unity and security, according to officials familiar with the registration.
Police communications reviewed by this publication indicate the request covers not only flows but governance controls: auditors’ identities, FCRA compliance history, and the trail of funds from donors to end-use. The scope signals a shift from a personality-centred case to an institutional audit of records, with investigators seeking documentary evidence capable of standing up in court.
Established on 21 June 1991 and based in New Delhi, the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation has counted senior Congress figures among its trustees over the years. The organisation’s FCRA status was cancelled by the Ministry of Home Affairs in October 2022, an action that has shaped the regulatory context within which any historic foreign contributions are assessed.
Political reverberations have accompanied the legal track. The FIR was preceded and followed by sharp exchanges between the ruling party and the opposition in Odisha and at the national level, underscoring the heightened stakes as investigators test the evidentiary value of speeches, financial ledgers and compliance filings under laws overhauled in 2024. Any failure by the foundation to furnish complete records by the stipulated date could trigger further legal steps under the BNSS framework.
Congress lashes Jagan as YSRCP backs Radhakrishnan 