For alleged violation of rules in receiving foreign aid, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has booked noted lawyer Anand Grover and his Mumbai-based voluntary organisation, Lawyers Collective, officials said on Tuesday.
The agency has filed an FIR on the basis of a complaint from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), which has alleged several discrepancies in the utilisation of foreign aid received by the NGO.
Top Points:
- The CBI has booked Grover, the president of Lawyers Collective, and unidentified office-bearers of the organisation, besides unidentified officials.
- The allegation was strongly disputed by Lawyers Collective in a statement issued last month.
- Although the CBI has not named Grover's wife and former additional solicitor general (ASG) Indira Jaising as an accused in the FIR, the complaint filed by the ministry, which is now part of the FIR, mentions allegations against her.
- CBI said Senior Lawyer Indira Jaising received Rs 96.6 lakh remuneration from foreign contributions made to the NGO during her term as ASG(2009-14). Complaint also said expenses of her foreign trips as ASG were borne by the NGO without the Home Ministry’s prior approval, reported ANI.
- The ministry has said the ASG is paid by the government from the Consolidated Fund of India and carries out very sensitive and high-level work, including, inter-alia, giving advice to the government in legal matters, appearing in the Supreme Court and high courts on its behalf and representing it in any reference made by the president to the apex court.
- It has alleged that Jaising violated the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) by "not seeking clearances from the government for receiving foreign contributions in the form of remuneration from the organisation and accepting foreign hospitality while visiting a foreign country".
What ministry has complained
- According to the ministry's complaint, Lawyers Collective had allegedly received foreign aid worth over Rs 32.39 crore between 2006-07 and 2014-15, wherein irregularities were committed that amounted to violation of the FCRA, 2010.
- Based on available information and scrutiny of records of the NGO available with the MHA, prima facie violations of various provisions of the FCRA, 2010 were noticed, the ministry said.
- Recently, a PIL was filed by Lawyers Voice, a voluntary organisation of advocates, in the Supreme Court, alleging that the funds collected by Lawyers Collective were misutilised for "activities against the nation".
- A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Deepak Gupta had issued notice to Jaising, Grover and the MHA, asking them to file their responses on the allegations, including that the money received by Lawyers Collective was used to "influence political activities".
- The MHA has alleged that the funds received through foreign contributions were spent on media advocacy with 67 MPs in March and April, 2010 and with 99 MPs in August, 2010 for the drafting of the HIV/AIDS Bill by Lawyers Collective.
- It has also claimed that the NGO had organised a free-trade agreement rally.
- It held "paid dharnas" on the HIV/AIDS Bill outside the Law Ministry, which amounted to violation of the FCRA, the ministry has alleged.
(With inputs from agencies)
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