CAG – the Comptroller and Auditor General of India is a cornerstone of accountability in India’s governance, tasked with auditing the Union and State governments, government bodies, third-tier administrations, PSUs amongst others. This role of the CAG ensures institutions stay transparent, accountable, and corruption-free. But when allegations of corruption, cronyism, and cover-ups infiltrate this office, the consequences reverberate far beyond its walls, threatening to destabilise the entire state and central government machinery.

In Part 1 of our series, we reveal a pattern of controversial foreign postings, allegations of corruption, and misconduct, and how the C&AG overlooked them, even awarding one of the officials a lucrative foreign posting. In these forthcoming stories under the series, we explain why the independence of the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India must not be compromised. As the CAG Girish Chandra Murmu’s term ends on November 21, 2024, his successor will again be chosen by the Prime Minister and appointed by the President, continuing a cycle that places the independence of this constitutional body under serious scrutiny. The CAG’s autonomy and the crisis it faces are more pressing than ever.