Siddaramaiah Under Fire for Honouring Tainted IPS Officer Amid Cong Opposition to Waqf Revision

The Karnataka government’s decision to confer the Chief Minister's Gold Medal for Distinguished Service on ADGP Hemant M. Nimbalkar has come under public scrutiny due to the officer’s past entanglement in the IMA Ponzi scheme investigation, even as the Congress party continues to oppose the Waqf Amendment Bill on the grounds of protecting Muslim interests.

On April 2, 2025, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah awarded the medal to Nimbalkar during the Police Flag Day celebrations, recognizing his contributions to the state’s anti-Naxal efforts. The announcement, however, has drawn sharp responses from civil society and activists, with many pointing to unresolved questions surrounding Nimbalkar's role in one of Karnataka’s most damaging financial scandals — the I Monetary Advisory (IMA) scam.

IMA Scam and Nimbalkar’s Alleged Role

The IMA scam came to light in 2019, when the IMA Group, led by Mohammed Mansoor Khan, allegedly defrauded over ₹4,000 crore from more than one lakh investors, most of whom were from the Muslim community. At the time, Hemant Nimbalkar served as Inspector General of Police, CID (Economic Offences), and was responsible for overseeing a preliminary inquiry into IMA.

In January and March 2019, Nimbalkar signed reports suggesting that IMA’s operations were within legal bounds and recommended closure of the investigation. When the scam collapsed and Khan fled the country, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and later the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) were tasked with probing the fraud.

In February 2020, the CBI registered an FIR against six officials, including Nimbalkar, accusing them of extending “undue favours” to IMA by failing to act on early complaints. The Karnataka High Court quashed the proceedings against Nimbalkar in 2021, but the Supreme Court stayed that order in August 2021, allowing the investigation to continue.

Despite the pending legal backdrop, the state government went ahead with the award.

Activist Raises Concerns

In December 2024, social activist T.J. Abraham submitted a formal memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu, urging that the CBI be directed to resume its investigation. Abraham argued that Nimbalkar’s clearance of IMA in 2019 directly contributed to the fraud’s escalation.

“The CBI has filed charges, the Supreme Court has stayed relief, and yet the state has chosen to honour him,” Abraham stated. “It sends the wrong signal to thousands of victims still waiting for justice.”

Political Context: Waqf Amendment Opposition

The development comes at a time when the Congress party — both at the state and national levels — has taken a strong stand against the Waqf Amendment Bill, calling it “anti-Muslim” and unconstitutional. Party leaders, including senior figures from Karnataka, have accused the Union government of interfering with Muslim religious institutions and undermining minority rights.

This juxtaposition — of honouring an officer previously named in a scam that disproportionately affected Muslim investors, while opposing legislation on the grounds of protecting Muslim interests — has raised questions about consistency in the party’s messaging.

Further, Nimbalkar’s wife, Dr. Anjali Nimbalkar, is a senior Congress politician and former MLA from Khanapur. She contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Uttara Kannada on a Congress ticket. Though no official linkage has been made between her position and the award decision, critics argue that such overlaps should be handled with greater transparency.

No Response from State Government

As of now, neither Chief Minister Siddaramaiah nor the Department of Home Affairs has issued a statement clarifying the basis for selecting Nimbalkar for the Chief Minister’s Medal, or whether the pending Supreme Court proceedings were considered during the decision-making process.

When contacted, Congress party officials declined to comment on the matter, stating only that the award was part of routine state honours for police personnel with exemplary service records.

Conclusion

With the CBI case against Nimbalkar still under legal review, the decision to award him has reignited public debate on institutional accountability, transparency, and the role of politics in civil recognition.

For the victims of the IMA scam — many of whom continue to fight legal battles to recover their life savings — the recognition of a senior officer once accused of shielding the fraud, however legally unresolved, has reopened old wounds.