Supreme Court Closes Bofors Chapter, Rejects Final Appeal Against Delhi HC Relief To Hinduja Brothers

Published 7 August 2026 · local

News india Supreme Court Closes Bofors Chapter, Rejects Final Appeal Against Delhi HC Relief To Hinduja Brothers Supreme Court Closes Bofors Chapter, Rejects Final Appeal

News india Supreme Court Closes Bofors Chapter, Rejects Final Appeal Against Delhi HC Relief To Hinduja Brothers Supreme Court Closes Bofors Chapter, Rejects Final Appeal Against Delhi HC Relief To Hinduja Brothers Published By, Last Updated: August 07, 2026, 07:31 IST The controversy stemmed from Rs 1,437-crore agreement signed in 1986, between government and Swedish defence company AB Bofors for the supply of 400 howitzers to Indian Army. The Supreme Court of India. (File photo) The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a plea challenging the Delhi High Court’s 2005 judgment quashing criminal proceedings against the Hinduja brothers in the Bofors pay-off case, effectively bringing the curtains down on one of India’s longest-running corruption cases nearly four decades after the controversy first erupted, according to The Times Of India. A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and Vinod K. Chandran refused to adjourn the matter and declined to entertain further submissions, dismissing the lone surviving appeal filed by advocate Ajay K. Agrawal against the Delhi High Court verdict. The order effectively seals the fate of the politically sensitive case after the Central Bureau of Investigation’s own appeal against the 2005 judgment had already been dismissed by the apex court in 2018. During the hearing, the petitioner sought four weeks’ time to delete the names of respondents who had died.

“I’m seeking four weeks’ time for deletion of the names, as respondent nos. 1 and 4 have expired," the advocate told the court, TO reported. ‘What Is All This About Hinduja Brothers And CBI?’ Questioning why the matter was still pending, Justice Pardiwala remarked, “What is all this about the Hinduja brothers and the CBI?" When informed that the Delhi High Court had exonerated the accused and quashed the proceedings, the judge observed, “All proceedings were quashed. What is this? How many years have passed?" Agrawal responded that, “The deal occurred in 1986," and attempted to explain that the CBI’s separate appeal had earlier been dismissed because the agency was already a respondent in his petition and had been permitted to advance its arguments in his case. However, the bench cut him short. As another counsel attempted to make submissions, Justice Pardiwala made it clear that the court would not postpone the matter, saying, “No question of adjournment. It is a 2018 matter." What Was Delhi High Court’s 2005 Judgement? Supreme Court’s order concludes the legal proceedings stemming from the Delhi High Court’s May 31, 2005 verdict that had quashed charges against Srichand, Gopichand and Prakash Hinduja, along with Swedish arms manufacturer AB Bofors. The High Court had also criticised the CBI’s handling of the prosecution, observing that the investigation had cost the exchequer nearly Rs 250 crore.