Spending approved money on liquor not a crime, Teesta Setalvad tells SC

It may be recalled that the Ministry for Home Affairs had suspended the registration of the Teesta Setalvad run Sabrang Trust.

Teesta Setalvad has told the Supreme Court that only Rs 7,850 was spent on liquor over the past seven years. She made the submission to the court while replying to the Gujarat government.

The Gujarat government said in the SC that Teesta Setalvad spent the NGO's money meant for secular education for personal purposes including liquor.

Teesta however said that only Rs 7,850 was spent on liquor over years. The expenditure was approved by Ford Foundation which donated the money. Is it a crime she also asked before the court.

It may be recalled that the Ministry for Home Affairs had suspended the registration of the Teesta Setalvad run Sabrang Trust under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act of 2010.

The decision to suspend the registration of the NGO under the FCRA was taken after it was found that the Sabrang Trust had allegedly used foreign funds to the tune of 2,50,000 US dollars for purposes other than it was intended to.

Investigations showed that the funds were received by the NGO from the Ford Foundation which was also under the scanner of the Union Home Ministry. It was further alleged by the investigators that the trust used the funds to lobby with media persons in a bid to address communalism and caste based discrimination.

However, the NGO was registered to carry out education related work.

The Sabrang trust had told the MHA that the charges were baseless.

Teesta had claimed that the probe is politically motivated and the same had been initiated because she had challenged the government in Gujarat when Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister.

OneIndia News