Lokpal's 7 BMW 330i Purchase Worth Rs. 5 Crore NOT Happening
After getting a lot of backlash from media and citizens, India's anti-corruption watchdog, Lokpal, has officially cancelled its tender to procure seven BMW 3-Series luxury sedans. This Rs 5 crore tender was officially cancelled on January 1st, nearly after two months of floating it publicly. In total, seven brand-new BMW 330 Li luxury limousines were ordered by Lokpal for its members.
In October of 2025, Lokpal floated an open Request for Proposal (RFP). It invited bids from reputed automotive dealers and agencies, following which, on 7 November, 2025, the evaluation of bids was scheduled to take place. However, on December 16th, 2025, a corrigendum was issued to cancel the tender. A resolution was passed by the full bench of the Lokpal.
As per the publicly floated tender, the Lokpal planned to procure seven BMW 3-Series, specifically the 330Li “M Sport” Long-wheelbase (Gran Limousine) variant. It was highlighted in the tender that all sedans will be white in color. Each of these cars was estimated to cost Rs 70 lakh, bringing the total cost of this tender to Rs 5 crore.
These seven BMW 3-Series sedans were meant to be allocated for the Lokpal chairperson and one each of the six Lokpal members. Currently, the Lokpal is headed by Justice A.M. Khanwilkar, former Supreme Court Judge. As per the law, the Lokpal can have up to eight members, of which four can be judicial members and four can be non-judicial members.
The original tender required the vehicles to be delivered to the Lokpal office at Vasant Kunj Institutional Area, New Delhi. It was also mentioned that the delivery had to be done within two weeks of the issuance of the supply order. Additionally, a maximum deadline of 30 days from the supply order date was allowed.
In addition to the delivery requirements, the tender also highlighted that a detailed driver training program had to be conducted by the supplier. It stated that all drivers must be provided mandatory theoretical and practical training sessions, including classroom instructions and on-road driving sessions.
The tender required all the drivers to be familiar with the vehicle controls, an understanding of advanced safety systems, parking procedures, emergency handling, driving modes, and fuel efficiency parameters. The training had to be of a minimum of seven days and had to be completed within 15 days of the delivery of the vehicle.
Soon after this tender was made public, it started getting scrutinized by political parties and citizens across the country. The opposition leaders accused the Lokpal office of indulging in extravagance, undermining its own credibility, and violating the spirit of probity and restraint. A number of critics also highlighted that this move was inconsistent with Lokpal's anti-corruption mandate.
As mentioned, the BMW 330 Li Grand Limousine variant is the top-of-the-line variant of this specific sedan. This sedan comes offered with a 14.9-inch BMW Curved Display infotainment system, a 12.3-inch all-digital instrument cluster, electrically adjustable seats with extendable thigh support, a panoramic sunroof, six dimmable ambient lighting options, tri-zone automatic climate control with active carbon filters, and much more.
As for the powerplant, the 330 Li comes equipped with a 2.0-litre twin-turbo petrol engine. This motor is capable of producing 258 bhp and 400 Nm of torque. Transmission duties are handled by an 8-speed automatic gearbox. The sprint from 0–100 kmph happens in just 6.2 seconds.