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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →In a letter dated 16 November 2016, former Government of India secretary EAS Sarma urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take five steps against black money, including scrutiny of political funding and action against people he alleged held illicit offshore accounts. Scroll published the letter in full on 17 November 2016. Its allegations are Sarma’s claims, not independently established findings.
What were Sarma’s five proposed steps?
Sarma framed his recommendations as a test of whether the campaign against black money would reach influential people and political institutions, rather than focus mainly on ordinary holders of cash. The five actions he asked Modi to take were:
- Revoke the retrospective FCRA amendment. Sarma argued that the retrospective amendment to the Foreign Contributions Regulation Act compromised the national interest.
- Proceed against public officials he alleged held illicit offshore accounts. He called for action against chief ministers, ministers and other public functionaries. The letter does not establish that these alleged accounts existed.
- Trace and attach benami properties. Sarma proposed pursuing property held in another person’s name on behalf of its true owner, in connection with the allegations he raised.
- Order an independent investigation of political finance. He sought scrutiny of political parties’ election funding and expenditure for the preceding three years.
- Make his own party subject to RTI. Sarma urged Modi to announce that his party would come under the Right to Information Act.
These were requests in a political letter, not a record that the steps were adopted or carried out.
Why did Sarma argue for action against influential people?
Sarma linked his proposals to demonetisation and the hardship he said ordinary people experienced while prominent figures appeared to retain access to resources. He argued that an anti-black-money campaign should pursue alleged illicit wealth among powerful actors as well as cash held by ordinary people. His letter put the point this way: “If you wish to flush out black money in real earnest, Mr Prime Minister, you have to flush it out from the bigger sharks nearer home, not the petty cash hoarders.”
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In making that argument, the letter also described a lavish wedding involving former Karnataka minister G Janardhana Reddy. The account and its associated figures should be understood as claims reported in Sarma’s letter, which attributed some details to a BBC report; they are not independently verified here.
How did the five-point letter relate to Sarma’s earlier letter?
The 16 November letter followed an earlier letter dated 12 November 2016. In that earlier appeal, Sarma addressed a wider range of systems he associated with corruption and black-money generation, including the allocation of public resources, political contributions, foreign donations, benami property, offshore accounts, contract management and public-sector bank lending.
The later letter narrowed the focus into five proposed actions: revisiting the FCRA amendment, pursuing alleged offshore holdings and benami property, investigating party finances, and accepting RTI scrutiny. Both letters set out Sarma’s policy concerns; neither, by itself, proves the allegations or establishes that any proposal was implemented.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.When was the letter published?
Sarma dated the letter 16 November 2016, under the subject line “Drive against Black Money.” Scroll published its full text the following day, 17 November 2016. The publication presents the letter’s contents and allegations; readers should distinguish those assertions from verified findings about particular people or assets.
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