Bedi to return excess fare amount to Indore organisation

Indore, Oct 30: Key member of Team Anna, Kiran Bedi, who is embroiled in a controversy related to over-charging host organisers for her air-travels, has agreed to return the excess amount to the local group 'Abhyas Mandal'.

'Abhyas Mandal' president Shivaji Mohite told agencies, "We received an email from Bedi today saying that she would return the excess amount she had charged for air fare of her Indore visit."

The former IPS officer had been invited to give a lecture by the group on May 13, 2009. Mohite said Bedi was paid Rs 38,871 by cheque on account of two-way business class fare for Delhi-Indore air journey. Following the recent media reports which claimed that she used to travel economy class on her lecture tours but charged the organisers for business class ticket, Abhyas Mandal sent her an email seeking refund of excess amount on "moral grounds", he said.

When the media reports came out, Bedi had defended her actions by saying that the excess money was used for her NGO India Vision Foundation and not for personal gains. However, she later said the over-charged money would be returned.

PTI