India's Exuberant Defence Spending and Seven Major Defence Scandals

Prior to the recent purchase, India had inducted five mid-sized Embraer 135BJ Legacy jets costing Rs 727-crore in September 2003 and three Business Boeing Jets for Rs 937-crore in October 2005 for flying VVIPs in the country. Indian spending heavily on buying jets and choppers to fly VVIPS do questions the need for it when the President of the United Statesis considering upgrading the existing US Presidential helicopter fleet, instead of buying an expensive helicopter to ferry him around.

Here are the seven major defence scams in India, from the oldest to the most recent ones, as reported by TNN.  

1 Jeep Scandal
The Jeep Scandal is one of the first major scandals that was seen in independent India, considered as the first stroke of impropriety allegations in defence procurement. It was in 1948 when V K Krishna Menon, the Indian high commissioner in Britain was accused of bypassing procurement protocols to sign a deal to buy 155 jeeps from the UK worth Rs 80 lakh. There were also many allegations that the jeeps were second hand. However a judicial inquiry was not permitted by the government. Menon later became India's defence minister, inspite of the allegations.

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