The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday searched the residence of senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former MLA Durgesh Pathak in connection with alleged violations of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), officials said. The searches were conducted following a complaint from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), based on which an FIR was filed against Pathak, another AAP functionary, Kapil Bhardwaj, and others. The CBI is probing the alleged use of foreign funding through concealed donor identities and unverified channels, with the accused being booked under various provisions of the FCRA. Electronic evidence and documents were recovered during the search, and Pathak’s statement was also recorded.
The investigation stems from a 2023 report by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) which flagged suspicious foreign fund transfers into bank accounts of AAP leaders, including Pathak. The ED’s findings were forwarded to the MHA, revealing attempts by party members to mask the identities of foreign donors, thereby allegedly violating political donation norms.
Speaking at a press conference after the searches, AAP leader Durgesh Pathak said, “A CBI team arrived at my residence in the morning and conducted searches for 3–4 hours. They searched every corner, books, and almirahs, but couldn't find anything. Many people come to my residence to get their work done and often leave photocopies of their Aadhaar cards—those are the only documents the officials took with them. They found nothing else. I have no idea why the searches were conducted, and they did not explain anything to me.”
Canada fundraising event under scrutiny
According to the CBI, Pathak attended an AAP fundraising event held in Toronto, Canada, on November 22, 2015, where 15,000 Canadian dollars were raised. Donor details were reportedly recorded on handwritten data sheets, which were later emailed to AAP leaders. However, investigators claim that the donor names listed in these sheets were not disclosed in official party records, suggesting deliberate concealment.
A second fundraising event was reportedly held in Toronto on January 30, 2016, where around 11,786 dollars were raised, out of which 7,955 dollars were transferred to AAP’s IDBI account in India using passports of 11 Canadian volunteers. The rest was shown as event expenditure.
Hidden donor identities, suspect documentation
The investigation revealed that donations from 155 foreign nationals amounting to over Rs 1.02 crore were routed through 404 transactions, but only 55 passport numbers were recorded. It was also found that 201 donors were associated with only 51 email IDs used repeatedly, and 71 donors used just 21 mobile numbers. Moreover, 75 individuals donated Rs 20 lakh using only 15 credit cards. One Canadian national reportedly donated directly via AAP’s website.
AAP Overseas India network flagged
The CBI also alleged that AAP created a network called "AAP Overseas India" to mobilise foreign donations from countries like the US, Canada, and Australia. These funds were allegedly transferred directly to party leaders, bypassing FCRA regulations. One individual, Bhagwant Toor, is said to have sent approximately $29,000 to the accused.
AAP denies wrongdoing, calls raid politically motivated
Reacting to the development, AAP leader and former Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj claimed that the same thing happened during the last Gujarat elections, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) arrested leaders from AAP. "Due to the last Gujarat elections, the BJP central government had started arresting the leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party. And now that Durgesh Pathak has got the responsibility of Gujarat, today the CBI has raided his house," Bharadwaj posted on X.
AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh accused the BJP-led central government of using central agencies to target the party. “BJP’s dirty game starts again. CBI has reached the house of Gujarat’s co-incharge @ipathak25. Modi Government has tried every trick to destroy @AamAadmiParty but still there is no peace. BJP's condition in Gujarat is bad. As soon as @ipathak25 was made co-incharge of Gujarat, CBI was sent to threaten him,” Singh posted on X.
AAP national secretary also Sandeep Pathak said the raids indicate that the BJP views AAP as a "growing threat" in the state. "The CBI's raid on Aam Aadmi Party leader Durgesh Pathak's residence this morning, just days after he was named co-incharge for Gujarat elections 202, sends a loud message that BJP views AAP as a growing threat in Gujarat and is rattled by its rising influence," Pathak posted on X.
What’s next?
The CBI is currently analysing the recovered electronic devices and may summon Pathak again for further questioning at its headquarters. The case is being viewed as a significant escalation in the scrutiny of political funding and foreign contribution compliance.