Was Arya Orphanage probe ordered under media pressure,HC asks govt

“Where is the material to lead us to the decision? Tell us how the L-G signed the notification. Did the government come under media pressure or was there an application of mind,we would want to know,” said the court.

The Bench headed by Justice Pradeep Nandarajog added that the court required to be satisfied that the commission of inquiry had been properly ordered and,further,that the two institutions,namely,Chhatravas Chandra Arya Vidya Mandir and Chandrawati Chaudhary Smarak Trust,both functioning from East of Kailash,had some “connections and linkages” to Arya Orphanage.

Arya Anathalaya,as per a submission by a senior official of the department of Women and Child Development in the court,is the name given to the complex,in which two institutions — Arya Bal Griha and Arya Kanya Sadan — function.

A bunch of three petitions have challenged the inquiry ordered by the government,by issuing a notification on February 25 signed by the L-G. The notification called for a probe into the functioning of the Arya Orphanage,and two other institutions based in East of Kailash. Apart from suggesting a roadmap to revamp the place and institute a mechanism to prevent any such case in future,the commission of inquiry also had to ensure compliance by all five institutions with all rules and regulations concerned.

Two of these petitions,however,indicted the notification,contending they had no connection with the Arya Orphanage complex. Since there was no complaint against their functioning,the inquiry could not have encompassed them,the petitions

contended.

Earlier,the court had asked the Delhi government counsel to adduce the file containing the notings on the basis of which the decision was taken. However,perusing the file,the court noted that there was nothing on record to connect the two East of Kailash-based institutions to Arya

Orphanage.

“You must tell us on what basis the inquiry has been ordered against them. If you say it was a general directive,then it should have been for all the orphanages in Delhi. Moreover,your officers should have informed the L-G and the Chief Minister that the press may be crying but we will first hold a full-proof inquiry,” the judge told the government counsel.

The court gave the counsel time till Monday to come back with records to prove the connection between the institutions.