The Supreme Court on Monday directed the CBI to conduct a preliminary inquiry into the alleged allotment of public contracts to companies owned by relatives of Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu.A Bench of Justice Vikram Nath, Justice Sandeep Mehta and Justice NV Anjaria asked the CBI to examine the contracts awarded to Khandu’s relatives and submit a report in 16 weeks spelling out if an independent investigation was warranted in the matter.“The CBI shall initiate a preliminary enquiry within two weeks. The preliminary enquiry and consequential investigation, if any, shall cover execution of public work contracts and work orders within the period from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2025,” the Bench ordered.“The state of Arunachal Pradesh shall fully cooperate with the CBI, and the Chief Secretary shall designate a nodal officer for coordination with the CBI. The state shall ensure no record is destroyed,” it said.The order came on a PIL filed by Save Mon Region Federation and Voluntary Arunachal Senaa in 2024, alleging that the Arunachal Pradesh Government’s contracts and tenders worth Rs 1,270 crores had been illegally awarded to firms associated with CM Khandu, his wife, mother and other family members.On behalf of the petitioners, advocate Prashant Bhushan alleged that M/s Brand Eagles, a construction company owned by Khandu’s wife, had been awarded a large number of government contracts.