A petition filed before the Madras High Court has sought a probe into alleged irregularities in fund collection through the NaMo App, raising questions over transparency and the nature of donations linked to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The plea was filed by Chennai-based journalist and RTI activist B.R. Aravindakshan, who has requested the court to direct a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or the police into the alleged “micro-donation online scandal.” The petition also seeks directions for the BJP and its leaders to disclose complete financial records of the funds collected through the app to ensure accountability.
According to the petition, the controversy stems from a “special micro-donation campaign” announced on December 25, 2021, by then BJP president J.P. Nadda, encouraging citizens to contribute through the NaMo App and its associated website. The campaign, which reportedly ran until February 2022, appealed to the public to make small donations to support the party.
The petitioner has alleged that donors were led to believe that their contributions would support not only the BJP but also Union government welfare schemes such as Swachh Bharat, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, and Kisan Seva. “Citizens, including me, were induced to donate through the app on the express appeal of the Prime Minister and the president of the BJP, with the unmistakable impression that contributions were being made both to the BJP and to Union government schemes like Swachh Bharat, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao and Kisan Seva,” the petitioner said.
However, the petition claims that receipts issued for these donations showed that the funds were credited to the BJP’s central office rather than to any government accounts. “These receipts showed that funds ostensibly collected in the name of Union government schemes were actually received by the central office of the political party,” the petitioner said.
The plea further alleges that the user interface and communication around the app created confusion among donors. The petitioner stated that many contributors believed they were directly supporting government welfare schemes based on how the platform presented the donation options and receipts.
The petitioner stated that contributors were not given clarity on whether their donations were transferred to the government accounts of the mentioned welfare schemes. He alleged that the money was instead handled purely as party funds, describing it as an act of cheating and a criminal breach of trust.
In addition, the petitioner has pointed to responses obtained through Right to Information (RTI) applications, claiming that government departments did not hold records related to the NaMo App. The petition also cites a response from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) stating that there is no official app in the name of the Prime Minister and no formal connection between the PMO and the NaMo App.
In addition to seeking a CBI probe, the petition has requested multiple interim directions, including the registration of an FIR against BJP leaders such as J.P. Nadda and Amit Malviya, the submission of complete accounts of funds collected, and restraint on the continued operation of the app and website until the case is resolved.
