In 2016, India signed a contract to purchase 36 Rafale fighter jets from France, a deal that quickly became one of the country’s most contentious political scandals. Critics of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government argued that the new contract was more expensive than the original plan for 126 jets and that the state‑owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) was sidelined in favor of the private company Reliance Defence.
The accusations triggered widespread protests and political rallies, with the opposition Congress party accusing Modi’s administration of corruption and cronyism. A popular slogan, “Chokidar Chor Hai” (the guard is a thief), became a rallying cry for the protesters.
In 2018 and 2019, India’s Supreme Court found no evidence of corruption or wrongdoing in the Rafale procurement and rejected a request for a fresh inquiry. The Comptroller and Auditor General of India also found no irregularities in the contract.
Thus, while the Rafale deal remains a highly debated topic in Indian defense politics, no judicial body has proven corruption in the transaction.