New Delhi: Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor Friday told the high court that he has not passed any order to withhold allocation of funds to the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) pending an inquiry and a special audit over allegations of misuse of government funds.
The submission was made by the counsel representing the L-G before Justice Subramonium Prasad who was hearing a petition by the DCPCR challenging an order to withhold funds to it pending an inquiry and a special audit over allegations of misuse of government funds.
The L-G’s counsel further said the ‘so-called’ press release annexed with the petition was never issued by the L-G.
“On instructions I am stating that no order was ever passed by the L-G stopping the funding. This so called press release is never issued by the L-G. This is quite serious,” he submitted.
Justice Prasad asked the counsel for the L-G to file an affidavit in this regard within four days and listed the matter for further hearing on January 25.
The high court observed that certain portions of the press note give a “political colour”.
The judge had earlier also remarked, “I would have said ‘audit, go ahead’. (But page) 154 takes a political colour. That’s where my problem begins... The usual foundation and motive problem (is there).”
The portion in question noted DCPCR’s former chairperson Anurag Kundu
and six members were politically affiliated to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
The counsel for the LG had said action was taken on the recommendation of other state authorities.
Last year, Lieutenant Governor Saxena approved a Women and Child Development (WCD) Department’s proposal to institute an inquiry and ordered a special audit over alleged misuse of government funds by DCPCR.
It was stated that V K Saxena had also directed that no further request for allocation of funds by DCPCR will be entertained before the completion of the inquiry and special audit.
Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, representing the DCPCR, had told the high court that allocation of funds to the child rights body has come to a grinding halt.
The DCPCR has said in its petition that such a setback paralyses a statutorily protected and independent institution, putting at risk emergency response systems for children facing violence, child labour, and begging.
The plea said any attempt to withhold or reduce the funds to DCPCR is a violation of its autonomy and threat to its survival.
It also said the statutory mechanism, which provides for audit by the CAG, has been sought to be diluted and there was an attempt to weaken this mechanism through a “frontal assault”.
“(The LG’s action) subjects petitioner no.1 and its members, to extraneous inquiry and ‘special audit’, which is not within the scheme of the Commission of the Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005. The said Act
contemplates audit by Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG),” the plea said.