Archive · 5 Oct 2026
Court Voids Transparency International India Inquiry Against Former Board Member
A court in Delhi reviewed an enquiry into Jitendra Kohli, a former board member of Transparency International India.
The court said the group that carried out the enquiry was not formed according to the organisation’s rules.
It declared the enquiry and its report invalid.
The court also said the report must not be circulated further.
Kohli had worked on ways to make online public purchasing more transparent and secure.
He said his work and concerns about the organisation led to unfair accusations against him.
The organisation had an Ethics Committee, but a separate one-person committee was created for the enquiry.
The case raises questions about whether organisations that promote fairness should follow fair procedures inside their own institutions.
A Delhi district court ruled on July 25, 2026, that an enquiry against former Transparency International India Board member Jitendra Kohli was illegal and void.
The court found that the one-member enquiry committee was formed contrary to the organisation’s Rules and Regulations, despite an existing Ethics Committee.
The court also barred further circulation of the committee’s report or its summary.
Kohli had worked on public procurement transparency, including preparing an e-Procurement Integrity Matrix at the Central Vigilance Commission’s request.
Kohli said his governance concerns and work exposing e-procurement deficiencies led to false, motivated conflict-of-interest allegations.
- Who
- Jitendra Kohli, former Transparency International India Board member, and Transparency International India.
- What
- A Delhi district court declared an enquiry against Kohli and its report illegal and void, and barred further circulation of the report or its summary.
- When
- The judgment was delivered on July 25, 2026.
- Where
- A Delhi district court in India.
- Why
- The court found that the one-member enquiry committee was constituted contrary to Transparency International India’s Rules and Regulations. Kohli said the allegations followed his governance concerns and work on e-procurement deficiencies.
- Case
- Jitendra Kohli vs. Transparency International India & Ors.
- Judgment date
- July 25, 2026
- Court
- Delhi district court
- Ruling
- The enquiry proceedings and report were declared illegal, void and without legal effect.
- Further circulation
- The court permanently restrained further circulation of the report or its summary.
- Enquiry committee
- A one-member committee was constituted despite an existing Ethics Committee.
- Procurement work
- Kohli prepared an e-Procurement Integrity Matrix documenting generic vulnerabilities in e-procurement systems, at the behest of the Central Vigilance Commission.