Close X
Saturday, November 30, 2024
ADVT 
India

AAP's foreign funding not against norms

Darpan News Desk Darpan, 07 May, 2014 03:58 PM
    The central government Wednesday informed the Delhi High Court that its probe into the foreign fundings received by the AAP is under process and donations received by the party from Indians living abroad was not in violation of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA).
     
    The centrl government told the court that eight people with foreign addresses made donations to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Their passport numbers as mentioned in the contribution report of Election Commission were checked and it was found that they possess Indian passports and NRIs holding Indian passports are not a foreign sources, it added.
     
    A division bench of Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice R.S. Endlaw, after a brief hearing, posted the matter for July 9. 
     
    Filing an affidavit, the home ministry said: "The statement of bank accounts of AAP and its units were scrutinized to ascertain whether any donation received is from foreign sources but the bank records does not reveal whether the source is domestic or foreign."
     
    imgaap-workers
     
    "The details of contributions in excess of Rs.20,000 in 2012-13 filed by AAP with Election Commission of India were also collected and scrutinized. The details of contributions revealed that eight persons with foreign addresses have made donations to AAP. Their passport numbers as mentioned in the contribution report of Election Commission of India were checked and it was found that they possess Indian passports." 
     
     
    "Moreover, it is submitted that NRIs holding Indian passports are not foreign sources. Hence donation received from them is not treated as foreign contribution as per FCRA, 2010," said the affidavit.
     
    The court was hearing a public interest litigation that alleged that AAP has been receiving foreign funds in violation of the FCRA. 
     
    The AAP had earlier told the court that it was the only party whose financial records and other details were open for public view and it got donations of Rs.30 crore from Indian citizens only, out of which Rs.8.5 crore came from NRIs.
     
    Earlier, the court had directed the central government to go through details of the money donated to the AAP since its inception Nov 26, 2012 and to take action if anything was found in violation of the FCRA.
     
    The plea named former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, advocates Shanti Bhushan and Prashant Bhushan and party member Manish Sisodia.
     
     
    It alleged the AAP and its members were promoted and funded by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the US through various companies and trusts such as Ford Foundation.

    MORE India ARTICLES

    Modi invokes Lord Ram at Faizabad

    Modi invokes Lord Ram at Faizabad
    BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi Monday invoked the name of Lord Ram in an election speech and urged the people to vote out the "corrupt and incompetent Congress government at the centre".

    Modi invokes Lord Ram at Faizabad

    Campaigning ends for penultimate round of Lok Sabha battle

    Campaigning ends for penultimate round of Lok Sabha battle
    Campaigning ended Monday evening in 64 Lok Sabha constituencies which go to the polls Wednesday when over 85 million voters will decide the electoral fate of 897 candidates including Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi.

    Campaigning ends for penultimate round of Lok Sabha battle

    Modi: Our governance will be 'drastically different', will allay minority fears

    Modi: Our governance will be 'drastically different', will allay minority fears
    BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi has said a government headed by him "will go the extra mile" to give justice to all and a dispensation "where nobody needs to be apprehensive or fearful". He said a BJP-led government will be "drastically different" from the UPA's approach to governance.

    Modi: Our governance will be 'drastically different', will allay minority fears

    Craze for leading Delhi schools leaves many distressed

    Craze for leading Delhi schools leaves many distressed
    Thousands of parents are undergoing a harrowing time as they battle to get their children into nursery classes of leading schools in the national capital. But many are celebrating too.

    Craze for leading Delhi schools leaves many distressed

    Assam Attacks: Bodo militants massacre 27 migrant Muslims over 24 hours

    Assam Attacks: Bodo militants massacre 27 migrant Muslims over 24 hours
    The toll in the twin attacks in Assam rose to 27 Saturday. The state government decided to hand over the probe to the NIA while Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described it as a "cowardly attempt to spread fear and terror".

    Assam Attacks: Bodo militants massacre 27 migrant Muslims over 24 hours

    India successfully test-fires Akash missile

    India successfully test-fires Akash missile
    India Friday successfully test-fired its Akash medium-range surface-to-air missile from a defence base in Odisha for the second time in two days, an official said.

    India successfully test-fires Akash missile