HC asks for details on irregularities in NGO accounts

The court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the Akhil Bharatiya Shoshan Unmoolan Parishad Prashikshak Sangh (ABSUPPS) against the NGO Shoshan Unmoolan Parishad. The organisation is apparently receiving a grant-in-aid for its various projects in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh from the Ministry of Welfare under its scheme to provide aid to voluntary organisations for the welfare of SCs.

In an affidavit filed before the court in September, the government had alleged that though the organisation is supposed to run training programmes only for SC candidates, it was admitting general category candidates as well, from whom a monthly fee of Rs 100 was being charged. The grant to the NGO was subsequently stalled. The affidavit also stated that the fee charged at the time of admission did not figure in the NGO’s income and expenditure statement or balance-sheet and was taken as a donation. These irregularities came to light following an inspection conducted by a team of officials of the Union Ministry of Social Welfare and Empowerment into the accounts of the NGO.

The petitioner’s counsel contended that the irregularities did not figure in the subsequent affidavit filed by the government on November 3. Instead, the government had stated in the latest affidavit that the reply of the NGO to its queries on the above was found to be satisfactory and on the basis of that a decision was taken by it to continue the grant-in-aid to it.