The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has sent a judicial request, or letter rogatory (LR), to the United States, seeking information and evidence from private investigator Michael Hershman. Hershman has expressed willingness to provide new details regarding the alleged ₹64-crore Bofors bribery scandal from the 1980s.

In 2018, the CBI informed a Delhi court that it was reopening the case following Hershman's interview with a TV channel, despite having closed the probe in 2011.

According to officials who requested anonymity, the LR was sent with court approval through home and external affairs ministries.

In 2004, the Delhi High Court cleared former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi of any wrongdoing in the Bofors case. The following year, it dismissed all charges against the remaining accused, including the Hinduja brothers. In 2011, a Delhi court dropped charges against Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi, the alleged middleman, and allowed the CBI to end its prosecution against him. Quattrocchi passed away in 2013.

The case revolved around an alleged ₹64-crore bribe in a ₹1,437-crore deal with Swedish firm Bofors during the 1980s when the Congress government was in power. The deal involved the purchase of 400 155mm field howitzers, which later played a key role in India's victory during the 1999 Kargil War. In the year 2011, CBI closed the case, citing a lack of evidence.

Hershman accused Congress of obstructing the investigation into the alleged scam and offered to share information with the CBI when he came to India in 2017 for a private detectives’ conference.

The CBI accepted the claims and announced in 2017 that it would reopen the investigation. Officials stated that when the CBI contacted US authorities through Interpol in November and December 2023, as well as in May and August 2024, they requested more time. As a result, the agency sought a Letter Rogatory (LR), a formal court request for information from foreign authorities.

A Delhi court approved the LR application on February 11, which had been filed in October 2024. The CBI referenced an interview with Hershman, claiming that India’s finance ministry had appointed him in 1986 to investigate violations of currency control laws, money laundering by Indians abroad, and the tracking of overseas assets, some of which were linked to the Bofors deal.

In its February 11 order, the court noted the need for further investigation and requested relevant documents from the finance ministry, including any records of Hershman's engagement or reports he had submitted. However, it stated that these documents were currently unavailable due to the age of the case.

“Further, a request was also sent through the Interpol channel, seeking information/documents useful for investigation of the present case,” as per the court. The court noted that a response from Interpol was still awaited and acknowledged the request to gather both documentary and oral evidence related to Hershman’s claims. It emphasised the need to investigate these claims further and stated that the investigating officer had applied for issuing a Letter Rogatory (LR).

Granting the CBI’s request, the court approved the LR, asking the relevant US authorities to assist in collecting documents, recording statements from the concerned individual, and carrying out the investigation.

The CBI initially registered the case in 1990, three years after a Swedish radio channel alleged that Bofors had paid bribes to Indian politicians and defence officials to secure the deal. The agency later filed charge sheets in 1999 and 2000. The allegations became a major political issue, with opposition parties targeting the Rajiv Gandhi-led government. The controversy was a key factor contributing to Congress’s defeat in the 1989 elections.