Court directs CBI to probe Maneka's sanction of funds to sister's NG

New Delhi, Aug 10 (UNI) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today submitted before the Delhi High Court that it had registered two FIRs against two NGOs including one formed by former Union Minister Maneka Gandhi's sister for alleged misuse of government funds.

Submitting a status report before a division bench of Justices Mukundakam Sharma and Hima Kohli, the CBI said the FIRs had been registered against the functionaries of the voluntary agencies under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Prevention of Corruption act.

The FIR had been lodged against Gandhi Rural Welfare Trust (GRWT) and Alp Sankhyak Sikhya Kalyan Samiti for alleged misuse of funds sanctioned to carry out voluntary works in Pilibhit, the constituency of Ms Maneka Gandhi.

The Court directed the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to initiate action against other NGOs, which were also sanctioned money.

In October last year, the High Court had directed the CBI to probe the alleged allotment of government funds by then Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Maneka Gandhi to various voluntary agencies including her sister's Gandhi Rural Welfare Trust (GRWT) in 2001.

In a petition V M Singh alleged that Mrs Gandhi, who was the Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment during the NDA regime, had ''misused her official position to ensure wrongful gains to those close to her, whether it was her Officer on Special Duty (OSD), party workers or her real sister's (Ambika Shukla) trust which was given Rs 50 lakh.'' ''About 40 trusts in her parliamentary constituency Pilibhit were created with her blessings with clear intentions to cheat the exchequer,'' said the petition.

Mrs Gandhi allegedly presided over a meeting on January 11, 2001 and sanctioned Rs 50 lakh for the construction of a Nursing College building at Pilibhit by the Gandhi Rural Welfare Trust of her sister.

The petition alleged that funds, meant for the NGOs which were working for the uplift of the weaker sections of the society, were misused in violation of the rules by those in power. It claimed that ''fake'' NGOs were set up circumventing rules in order to obtain funds.

It is alleged that four NGOs--Gandhi Rural Welfare Trust, Nidhi Education Society, G S Memorial Education Society and New Modern Dayal Shiksha Samiti had also misused the funds given by the Ministry.

The petitioner had also sought direction to the CBI to investigate another case relating to withdrawal of about Rs one crore by Mrs Gandhi ahd ner mother Amteshwar Anand from Punjab and Sind Bank at Sadar Bazar Branch in 1991.

UNI PAT MSJ RAI2007