List of scandals in India

The following is a list of proven scandals in India since independence, including political, financial and corporate scandals. The year, or decade, is when the scandal was first reported.

1940s

1948 Jeep scandal case

1950s

1958 Mundhra scandal

1970s

1971 Nagarwala case

1980s

1985 Fodder scam
1987 Bofors scandal

1990s

1991

1992

Indian stock market scam

1995

1996

Disproportionate assets case against Jayalalithaa

1997

1998

Anubhav Plantations

2000s

2000

India-South Africa match fixing scandal

2001

2002

2003

2004

Manesar land scam

2005

Scorpene deal scam

2006

2008

2009

2010s

2010

2011

Belekeri port scam

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020s

2020

2021

2022

West Bengal School Service Commission recruitment scam

2023

Adani Group scandal: In January 2023, Hindenburg Research revealed that it had short positions in India's Adani Group, alleged to be a close ally of Narendra Modi's administration, and flagged debt and accounting concerns. Concurrently, Hindenburg released a report claiming that Indian conglomerate Adani Group "has engaged in a brazen stock manipulation and accounting fraud scheme over the course of decades." Soon after the report's release, Adani Group companies experienced an acute decline in their share prices. In a follow-up piece, The Guardian indicated that Hindenburg called on the Adani Group to sue if they believed the report was inaccurate. By the end of February 2023, the group lost $150 billion in value. Gautam Adani's personal net worth came down as he fell from 3rd richest in the world to 30th richest within a month after the report was published. The opposition leaders called it the "biggest scam" and Modi has been criticized for his lack of reaction towards the scandal.

2024

Electoral bonds scam: Electoral bonds refers to a mode of funding for political parties in India from their introduction in 2018 until they were struck down as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of India on 15 February 2024.
Mahadev Betting App Case
2024 NEET controversy
Indictment against Gautam Adani et al.
Ayodhya dispute: On June 10, 2024, major media house Indian Express published an investigative article which found that after the 2019 Supreme Court verdict in favour of Ram Temple there was 30 per cent rise in the number of land transactions in at least 25 villages in Ayodhya and adjoining Gonda and Basti districts that fall within a radius of 15 km of the temple. Many of these land deals were linked to politicians, senior officials and their relatives. The investigation also revealed that the administration did not revise the land circle rates for the past 7 years even after the Supreme Court's verdict although rates have been revised in the adjoining districts.

2025

NAAC rating bribery case.
FIITJEE: In January 2025, FIITJEE, a popular coaching institute for Joint Entrance Examination, faced backlash as several centers across India, including Noida, Ghaziabad, Delhi, Ranchi and other cities, abruptly shut down. The closures, attributed to unpaid salaries and disputes with franchise partners, disrupted the studies of thousands of students. Multiple FIRs were filed against FIITJEE officials for fraud and breach of trust, with allegations of mismanagement and unfulfilled commitments.
Yashwant Verma: In 2025, a large sum of cash was discovered at his residence during a fire on March 14. An enquiry report was also published by the Supreme Court on the matter and due to sensitivity of the matter, the Supreme Court decided to keep the report redacted from the Public and Parliamentary scrutiny.
2025 Indian electoral controversy: A nationwide controversy regarding the collusions of the Election Commission of India and the Bharatiya Janata Party for alleged electoral fraud in the 2024 Indian general election.
West Bengal School Service Commission recruitment scam, 2025