The debates
The Caravan report on his son’s fund
On 16 January 2019 The Caravan published “The D Companies”. It reported that his son Vivek Doval ran a hedge fund in the Cayman Islands registered 13 days after demonetisation. It contrasted this with his father’s past calls for action against tax havens. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh repeated the claims and sought an RBI inquiry.
Vivek Doval filed a criminal defamation case against the magazine, its reporter and Ramesh. He told the court the article was false and misleading and that his father had no connection to his company. In December 2020 Ramesh apologised and the case against him was closed. Proceedings against the magazine continued.
Scroll (22 January 2019) · Business Standard / IANS (27 May 2019) · The Quint (19 December 2020)
The Pannun lawsuit in New York
In September 2024 a federal court in New York issued summons in a civil suit by Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. He alleges a plot to kill him on US soil. The suit names the Government of India, Ajit Doval, former RAW chief Samant Goel and Nikhil Gupta. Pannun’s lawyers later reported failed attempts to serve him at Blair House in Washington.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri called the case “completely unwarranted and unsubstantiated imputations”. He noted that Pannun’s organisation is unlawful under Indian law. He said a high-level committee was inquiring into the US allegations. The Wire reported in March 2025 that the court rejected the attempted service.
Scroll (19 September 2024) · The Wire (31 March 2025)
Canada’s allegations
In October 2024 The Washington Post reported a secret meeting in Singapore. Canadian officials were said to have presented him with evidence linking Indian agents to the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. In November 2024 The Globe and Mail cited an unnamed source saying he and S. Jaishankar had been informed of such operations.
India did not confirm the reported meeting. Canada’s own government called the Globe report “speculative and inaccurate”. Its National Security Adviser Nathalie Drouin said Canada knew of no evidence linking Modi, Jaishankar or Doval to crimes in Canada. India’s Ministry of External Affairs called the report “ludicrous”.
The Tribune (15 October 2024) · ThePrint (22 November 2024)
Critics of the Doval Doctrine
A.G. Noorani called him “a card-carrying hawk” in 2018. He said the hard line on Pakistan had damaged ties with neighbours and concluded: “This policy has failed.” Harsh Mander described the doctrine’s themes as amorality and militarism. Aruna Roy said his civil society speech ignored the spirit of the Constitution.
His stated case is that pure restraint left Pakistan setting the terms. All-out offence risks crossing the nuclear threshold. Defensive offence is meant to raise costs without war. In 2021 he said wars are “too expensive and unaffordable” and their outcome uncertain.
Dawn: A hawkish doctrine by A.G. Noorani (24 March 2018) · Wikipedia: Ajit Doval · MP-IDSA: Defensive offence and offensive defence · Scroll (12 November 2021)
Kandahar 1999
Media reports called the handling of IC-814 a failure of the government and its intelligence agencies. The crisis group met late and the plane left Amritsar before commandos arrived. India released Masood Azhar and two other militants. Doval was one of the negotiators in Kandahar.
He has called the outcome a diplomatic failure. He blamed India’s inability to get the US and the UAE to help. He said the hijackers had ISI support in Kandahar and a guaranteed exit. That took away the negotiators’ leverage.
Wikipedia: Indian Airlines Flight 814 · Deccan Chronicle (15 January 2017) · Wikipedia: Ajit Doval
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