Blacklisting is the action of a group or authority compiling a blacklist of people, countries or other entities to be avoided or distrusted as being deemed unacceptable to those making the list ; if people are on a blacklist, then they are considered to have done something wrong, or they are considered to be untrustworthy. As a verb , blacklist can mean to put an individual or entity on such a list. A blacklist is synonymous with a list of banned persons or organizations, and is the opposite of a whitelist .
37-484: The Bofors scandal was a major weapons-contract political scandal that occurred between India and Sweden during the 1980s and 1990s, initiated by Indian National Congress politicians and implicating the Indian prime minister, Rajiv Gandhi , and several other members of the Indian and Swedish governments. These politicians were accused of receiving kickbacks from Bofors AB , an arms manufacturer principally financed by
74-656: A 1676 history of the events leading up to the Restoration, James Heath (a supporter of Charles II) alleged that Parliament had passed an Act requiring the sale of estates, "And into this black list the Earl of Derby was now put, and other unfortunate Royalists ". Edward Gibbon wrote in The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (1776) of Andronicus that "His memory
111-495: A Swedish radio station broke a story, sourced from a whistleblower in the Swedish police, alleging that the reputed Swedish artillery manufacturer Bofors had paid kickbacks to people in several countries, including Sweden and India, to secure a ₹ 15 billion (equivalent to ₹ 200 billion or US$ 2.4 billion in 2023) contract. This had been done the previous year for a deal to supply 410 155 mm calibre howitzers for
148-467: A key court order which was the basis of Quattrocchi's arrest. In the aftermath, the government did not appeal this decision because of delays in securing an official English translation of the court's decision. 4 March 2011 - A Delhi court provided temporary relief to Quattrocchi from the case, for lack of sufficient evidence against him. 12 July 2013 - Quattrochi died of heart attack in Milan . Despite
185-609: A number of others. 2001 - Win Chadha and S. K. Bhatnagar died. 10 June 2002 - Delhi High Court quashed all proceedings in the case so far. However, this was reversed by Supreme Court of India on 7 July 2003. 2004 - The central government changed and Indian National Congress came to power after 2004 Lok Sabha elections . On 5 February 2004, the Delhi High Court quashed the charges of bribery against Rajiv Gandhi and others. 31 May 2005 - The Delhi High Court dismissed
222-526: A setback to NDA government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee as well. However, CBI said that it would contest the judgement in Supreme Court. In 2011, a Delhi court allowed CBI to close the case. Thereafter in 2012, Swedish police chief Sten Lindstrom, who led the investigations and identified himself as the whistleblower , said that Rajiv Gandhi had done nothing wrong and also cleared Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan and his family from any involvement in
259-464: The Bharatiya Janata Party , Arun Jaitley , criticised the manner in which CBI has handled this case, including: The closure of Bofors case was full of twists and turns. In 2004, Delhi High Court posthumously gave clean chit to Rajiv Gandhi and said that there was no case of corruption against him or any public servant. This judgement stunned CBI as it had pursued the case for 14 years and was
296-454: The British Raj as well as in independent India, and commissions were paid to them under various headings and guises. Some of these were paid as personal bribes while others were paid as contributions to political parties. This led to high levels of corruption, and payments being made to politicians, bureaucrats and defence personnel to influence decisions. The political controversies caused by
333-828: The Hollywood blacklist . Since then, lawsuits for unfair dismissal have led to blacklisting being covert or informal, but it remains common. In 1981 following the PATCO workers' refusal to return to work, the Reagan administration fired the 11,345 striking air traffic controllers who had ignored the order, and banned them from federal service for life. The Hollywood blacklist was an entertainment industry blacklist instituted in 1947 to block screenwriters and other Hollywood professionals who were purported to have Communist sympathies from obtaining employment. It started by listing 151 entertainment industry professionals and lasted until 1960 when it
370-525: The Industrial Commission stated "There was no doubt in the minds of workingmen of the existence of the blacklisting system, though it was practically impossible to obtain evidence of it." It cited a news report that in 1895 a former conductor on the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad committed suicide, having been out of work ever since a strike: "Wherever he went, the blacklist was ahead of him". Though
407-481: The National Labor Relations Act of 1935 outlawed punitive blacklists against employees who supported trade unions or criticised their employers, the practice continued in common use. The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 made amendments which sustained blacklisting by affirming the right of employers to be anti-union , and by requiring trade union leaders to make loyalty oaths which had the same effect as
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#1732854901891444-593: The Wallenberg family 's Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken , for winning a bid to supply to India the company's 155 mm field howitzer – the sale of 410 field howitzers, and a supply contract for almost twice that amount, totalling a US$ 1.4 billion deal. It was the biggest arms deal ever in Sweden, and money marked for development projects was diverted to secure this contract at any cost. The investigations revealed flouting of rules and bypassing of institutions. On 16 April 1987,
481-605: The Bofors Scandal, led to the banning of middlemen in arms deals. In 2015, the Government of India under the Narendra Modi government made the use of middlemen in arms deals legal, if they called themselves "company representatives". The then defence minister Manohar Parrikar announced that in such cases, middlemen would be paid by the government for fixing arms deals under the name of "legal fees". A former cabinet minister of
518-596: The Bofors payoff. The two accounts, containing €3 million and $ 1 million, had been frozen. On 16 January, the Indian Supreme Court directed the Indian government to ensure that Quattrocchi did not withdraw money from the two bank accounts in London. The CBI, the Indian federal law enforcement agency, on 23 January 2006 admitted that roughly ₹210 million, about US$ 4.6 million, in the two accounts have already been withdrawn by
555-576: The Bofors scandal under immense government pressure and Subramaniam moved to the two newspapers. In an interview with her, published in The Hoot in April 2012 on the 25th anniversary of the revelations, Sten Lindström, former chief of Swedish police, discussed why he had leaked the documents to her and the role of whistle-blowers in a democracy. 1977 - As a response to reports that Pakistan wants to acquire brand new American long-range 155-mm M198 howitzers (which
592-599: The Indian army. However, none of the newspapers in India were aware of this. In May 1987, a broadcast by a Swedish radio station revealed that bribes of ₹ 600 million (equivalent to ₹ 8.2 billion or US$ 98 million in 2023) had been paid by Bofors to Indian politicians, members of the Congress party and bureaucrats. This was picked up by a young journalist from The Hindu , Chitra Subramaniam , who happened to be in Sweden at that time, covering another story. The scale of
629-496: The accused. The British government released the funds later. 16 January 2006 - CBI claimed in an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court that they were still pursuing extradition orders for Quattrocchi. The Interpol , at the request of the CBI, has a long-standing red corner notice to arrest Quattrocchi. 6 February 2007 - Quattrocchi was detained in Argentina on 6 February 2007, but
666-668: The allegations against the British business brothers, Srichand , Gopichand and Prakash Hinduja , but charges against others remained. December 2005 - B. Daat, the Additional Solicitor General of India , acting on behalf of the Indian Government and the CBI, requested the British Government that two British bank accounts of Quattrocchi be unfrozen on the grounds of insufficient evidence to link these accounts to
703-523: The ban came during the Kargil War , when the Bofors guns proved to be efficient but were crippled by a shortage of spare parts. 22 October 1999 - When National Democratic Alliance government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party was in power, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed the first chargesheet against Quattrocchi, Win Chadha, Rajiv Gandhi , the defence secretary S. K. Bhatnagar and
740-494: The controversy, the Bofors gun was used extensively as the primary field artillery during the Kargil War with Pakistan and gave India 'an edge' against Pakistan according to battlefield commanders. In his book, Unknown Facets of Rajiv Gandhi, Jyoti Basu and Indrajit Gupta , released in November 2013, former CBI director Dr A P Mukherjee wrote that Rajiv Gandhi wanted commission paid by defence suppliers to be used exclusively for
777-419: The corruption was far worse than any that Sweden and India had seen before and directly led to the defeat of Gandhi's ruling Indian National Congress party in the November 1989 general elections . The Swedish company paid ₹ 640 million (US$ 7.7 million) in kickbacks to top Indian politicians and key defence officials. The case came to light during Vishwanath Pratap Singh 's tenure as defence minister, and
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#1732854901891814-580: The electronic media have covered it in depth. The Muckraker movement in American journalism was a component of the Progressive Era in the U.S. in the early 20th century. Journalists have built their careers on exposure of corruption and political scandal, often acting on behalf of the opposition party. The political ideology of media owners plays a role—they prefer to target the opposition but will reluctantly cover their own side. Journalists have to frame
851-548: The kickbacks and not taking action on them. The Bofors scandal was a major issue that was highlighted in subsequent elections, which led to the Congress losing power. Though it was widely believed that V. P. Singh resigned from Rajiv Gandhi's cabinet due to the Bofors scandal, Singh clarified that he had resigned due to differences in the cabinet in commissions taken by Indian agents in the HDW submarine deal (Shishumar class) . Middlemen were employed in arms deals in India, both during
888-482: The news of his detention was released by the CBI only on 23 February. Quattrocchi was released by Argentinian police. However, his passport was impounded and he was not allowed to leave the country. As there was no extradition treaty between India and Argentina, the case was presented in the Argentine Supreme Court . The government of India lost the extradition case as the government of India did not provide
925-598: The petition to recall President Hugo Chávez , together with their national identity card numbers ( cédula ). The list "made sectarianism official", and Venezuelans who signed against Chávez were denied jobs, benefits, and documents, and often subjected to harassment. Once the list was posted, Chávez, on a Venezolana de Televisión broadcast, encouraged use of the website to "verify illicit use of national identity cards". Roger Capella, Minister of Health declared that "those who signed against President Chávez would be fired because they are committing an act of terrorism". There
962-485: The purpose of meeting expenses of running the Congress party. Mukherjee said Gandhi explained his position in a meeting on 19 June 1989, during a meeting between the two at the Prime Minister's residence. However, as per Sten Lindstrom, the former head of Swedish police, who led the investigations, they did not find anything to suggest that payments had been received by Rajiv Gandhi. He was, however, guilty of knowing about
999-612: The scandal was Ottavio Quattrocchi , an Italian businessman who represented the petrochemicals firm Snamprogetti . Quattrocchi was reportedly close to the family of Rajiv Gandhi and emerged as a powerful broker in the 1980s between big businesses and the Indian government. 21 May 1991 - While the case was being investigated, Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated for unrelated reasons by the LTTE . 1997 - The Swiss banks released some 500 documents after years of legal battle. 1999 - The Indian government lifted its ban on Bofors. The lifting of
1036-676: The scandal. Instead, he accused Swedish government of diverting funds marked for development projects to secure the deal by flouting the rules and bypassing the institutions. Political scandal In politics , a political scandal is an action or event regarded as morally or legally wrong and causing general public outrage. Politicians , government officials, party officials and lobbyists can be accused of various illegal, corrupt , unethical or sexual practices. Politicians and officials who are embroiled in scandals are more likely to retire or get lower vote shares. Scandal sells, and broadsides, pamphlets, newspapers, magazines and
1073-677: The story in terms of the audience's values and expectations to maximize the impact. Blacklisted The English dramatist Philip Massinger used the phrase "black list" in his 1639 tragedy The Unnatural Combat . After the restoration of the English monarchy brought Charles II of England to the throne in 1660, a list of regicides named those to be punished for the execution of his father . The state papers of Charles II say "If any innocent soul be found in this black list, let him not be offended at me, but consider whether some mistaken principle or interest may not have misled him to vote". In
1110-496: Was a public outcry, in particular by the organization Súmate , and because of reports that people who worked for the government were fired, denied work, or denied issuance of official documents because of their appearance on the list. In July 2004, access to the database under management of Comando Maisanta was granted to members of the "Batallones Bolivarianos de Internet (BBI)" (Internet Bolivarian Battalions), which previously had to register on Tascón's website to gain access under
1147-493: Was actually withheld due to US political concerns), India requested Bofors and six other manufacturers to suggest their towed howitzers. Early 1981 - four howitzers were shortlisted to participate in the field trials: FH-77B , FH-70 , GHN-45 and GIAT-155 TR . 1985 - FH-70 and GHN-45 were eliminated from the trials. 24 March 1986 - A $ 285 million contract between the Government of India and Swedish arms company Bofors
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1184-771: Was due to his volunteering in this cause and his beliefs. During World War I , the British government adopted a "blacklist" based on an Order in Council of 23 December 1915, prohibiting British subjects from trade with specified firms and individuals in neutral countries; the lists were published in the London Gazette . In the summer of 1940, the SS printed a secret list called Sonderfahndungsliste G.B. ("Special Search List Great Britain ") as part of Nazi Germany 's preparations for invasion code-named Operation Sea Lion – when this booklet
1221-562: Was effectively broken by the acknowledgement that blacklisted professionals had been working under assumed names for many years. At least one Scottish volunteer ( George Drever ) in the International Brigades who went to Spain to fight Franco 's fascists and who was also well known in the British Communist Party in the 1930s was informed by the police Special Branch that his failure to progress in military or career
1258-618: Was found after the war, it was commonly called the Black Book and described as a blacklist. In 1907, the Transvaal Medical Union in South Africa blacklisted patients if they could not pay cash in advance. There was a physical list kept by the community of physicians . After the 2004 Venezuelan recall referendum , ruling party deputy Luis Tascón published on his website a database of more than 2,400,000 Venezuelans who had signed
1295-464: Was revealed through investigative journalism tipped off by a Reuters news revelation on Swedish radio, followed up by a team led by N. Ram of the newspaper The Hindu . Subramaniam, reporting for The Hindu , secured the over 350 documents that detailed the payoffs. Later the articles were published in The Indian Express and The Statesman when The Hindu stopped publishing stories about
1332-431: Was signed for supply of 410 155 mm Howitzer field guns. 16 April 1987 - Swedish Radio alleged that Bofors paid kickbacks to people from a number of countries including top Swedish and Indian politicians and key defence officials to seal the deal. 1987 - As a result of the revelations, the Indian government blacklisted Bofors, preventing the company from doing business in India. The middleman associated with
1369-422: Was stored with a black list of the enemies and rivals, who had traduced his merit, opposed his greatness, or insulted his misfortunes". The first published reference to blacklisting of an employee dates from 1774. This became a significant employment issue in American mining towns and company towns , where blacklisting could mean a complete loss of livelihood for workers who went on strike. The 1901 Report of
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