Indian activist-lawyer Prashant Bhushan's post brings focus on ‘conflict of interest’ appointments of ex-govt officials at Reliance, Adani groups

Indian activist-lawyer Prashant Bhushan has turned the nation’s focus on how former bureaucrats join plum posts including as board directors in major conglomorates like Reliance Industries and Adani group, raising questions about the principles of safe distance between industry and government, as also the ethics of such ‘revolving doors’ in their careers. Some of these former officials had served in regulatory roles in agencies like Central Vigilance Commission and Comptroller and Auditor General of India, while others were with Public Sector Units, Bhushan pointed out.

In an X post that sparked major online debate, Bhushan wrote:“Former, CVC chief, CAG chief, Bank chiefs, PSU chiefs, even Supreme Court judge joined Reliance, the company that they should have dealt with in some capacity as Regulators, after retirement. Shouldn’t there be a ban on such post retirement jobs which create conflicts of interest while in position?”

Along with the post, Bushan shared some of the alleged names. But a larger examination revealed that his list is not exhaustive. The following are some of the top ex-offficials and regularory body chiefs who joined these industry majors, mostly post-retirement. While this is collected from publicly available information, it may not be the full picture of the ‘revolving doors’.

Former officials and regulatory body chiefs who joined Reliance and Adani groups

The below list is a compilation from Prashant Bhushan’s post as well as other publicly available information:

Reliance group

Adani group