The Gandhinagar CID (Crime) has registered FIRs against three Gujarat-registered political parties following complaints from the Income Tax Department alleging systematic routing of donations through banking channels and large-scale tax evasion.
Parties named and alleged scale
The FIRs name the Bharatiya National Janata Dal (BNJD) — registered in Gandhinagar — and two Ahmedabad-registered parties, the Garib Kalyan Party and the Swatantrata Abhivyakti Party. According to the complaints lodged by Income Tax officials, the three parties together received donations amounting to ₹1,869.61 crore between financial years 2019-20 and 2024-25, and allegedly caused a loss of ₹560.02 crore to the exchequer.
The first FIR, filed against the BNJD, was submitted by Deputy Commissioner Rajendra Raj Jehra Ram of the Income Tax Department and registered with the Gandhinagar CID on September 25. The complaint alleges the BNJD received ₹1,143.85 crore from 56,238 donors in the period under scrutiny and that the transactions produced an estimated tax loss of about ₹343 crore.
Alleged modus operandi
Income Tax investigators have described a recurring pattern in the complaints. Donations were routed through formal banking channels such as RTGS and cheques, with the recipient party issuing donation receipts. The complaint alleges that funds did not remain with the parties but were moved out, often via intermediary businesses and commission agents. Cash withdrawals followed and amounts were allegedly returned to donors through informal networks after retaining a commission.
- Donations made through banks, receipts issued to enable donors to claim deductions.
- Funds allegedly transferred from party accounts to intermediary firms (named in the complaint for the BNJD case as J Trading, Kajal Enterprises and Parmar Associates).
- Paper bills and invoices purportedly created for commodity purchases to justify transfers.
- Cash withdrawals and routing back to donors via angadiya/hawala channels after deducting commissions of 2–10%.
The FIRs invoke provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita pertaining to cheating, criminal conspiracy, forgery and use of forged documents, reflecting the allegations in the Income Tax complaints. Investigations are also reported to be examining records filed with the Election Commission, including Form 24A disclosures.
Accused in the BNJD FIR
Names listed in the BNJD complaint include party office-bearers — president Surendrakumar Vitthalbhai Gajera, general secretary Vipul Solanki, treasurer Ronaksinh Chavda — and chartered accountant/auditor Adil Sayed. The allegations remain under investigation and have not been established in a court of law.
| Party | Donations (alleged) | Estimated tax loss (alleged) |
|---|---|---|
| BNJD | ₹1,143.85 crore | ₹343 crore |
| Garib Kalyan Party | Part of combined total | Part of combined total |
| Swatantrata Abhivyakti Party | Part of combined total | Part of combined total |
| Total (three parties) | ₹1,869.61 crore | ₹560.02 crore |
Investigators have also flagged documentary irregularities such as allegedly fabricated receipts and donation slips. The Income Tax Department’s preliminary probe, as set out in the FIRs, suggests a coordinated mechanism intended to enable donors to claim political contribution deductions while ultimately recovering most of the funds in cash.
Prosecutorial and regulatory angles
The case sits at the intersection of income-tax enforcement, electoral finance transparency and criminal law. If substantiated, the alleged scheme would represent both loss of revenue and circumvention of political funding disclosure norms. The CID’s registration of FIRs follows procedural practice where the investigating agency takes over criminal inquiries based on departmental complaints.
At this stage, the allegations remain subject to investigation and legal process. The FIRs and the Income Tax Department complaints provide the factual basis for further evidence-gathering, including transactional banking records, intermediary accounts and documentary trails submitted to statutory authorities.
Further developments are expected as the CID Crime unit in Gandhinagar proceeds with searches, record seizures and questioning of the persons named in the FIRs.
Reporting: Correspondent based in Gandhinagar.
