The winner of the 2024 ACJ Award for Investigative Journalism is Hemant Gairola for his entry “Banks Want Forged Paper Trails After TakingMoney Illegally From Customers For Modi Govt’s Flagship Schemes” published in Article 14.
The three-member awards jury was chaired by veteran journalist Kalpana Sharma, independent journalist and writer Priya M. Menon, and documentary photographer and visual artist Harikrishna Katragadda.
The winner of the ACJ Award for Investigative Journalism award received a trophy, a citation by the jury and INR two lakhs (2,00,000) in prize money. 
Citation
Hemant Gairola’s investigation into the way banks have been fudging figures of numbers enrolled in various government schemes by compelling employees to sign up customers for these schemes without their consent is in the best tradition of investigative journalism. His story stands out not just for the detailed manner in which he has substantiated his findings with documents and testimonies, but also for the quality of writing. 
Special Mentions
Adrija Bose for her investigation, “Telegram: Predators Are Selling Child Sex Abuse Videos For Rs 40 into how child predators are selling child abuse videos through various social media platforms” published in Boom. 
Abir Dasgupta for his investigation, “Adani ties with Adi group make convenient sense” into over-invoicing on coal imports by the Adani group published in The Morning Context.