LUCKNOW: The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court on Wednesday, ordered the investigating agency Economic Offences Wing (EOW), Uttar Pradesh (UP) police, to present its report on the inquiry done so far into allegations of anomalies in the Salman Khurshid Trust case on February 1.
The order was passed by a division bench comprising Justice Uma Nath and Justice Satish Chandra on a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by social activist Nutan Thakur.
In her PIL, filed on October 15 last year, Thakur had demanded registration of a case on the basis of the charges levelled against the Zakir Hussain Trust run by union minister Salman Khurshid and his wife Louise.
Thakur had also expressed doubt over free and fair inquiry into the allegations under present political circumstances, hence she has asked the court to supervise the probe.
After hearing the PIL, the court on October 18 directed the news channel 'Aaj Tak' to present relevant documents and CD of its sting operation which exposed the alleged anomalies. The channel submitted the documents and the CD in a sealed cover before the court on Wednesday.
The PIL was filed after allegations of anomalies in the distribution of aid to disabled people were levelled against Khurshid's Trust.
The state government had also ordered the EOW to probe the matter. However, social activist Arvind Kejriwal had then also raised questions over the fairness of the EOW probe and had accused the Akhilesh Yadav government of trying to shield Khurshid.
Six parties, including state government through principal secretary home, EOW, central government through ministry of social justice, principal secretary social welfare UP, Aaj Tak through editor India Today group and Dr Zakir Hussain Memorial Trust, were made respondents in the PIL.
Appearing on behalf of the union government, senior counsel Vivek Tankha had then claimed that it was a proxy PIL filed in a casual manner to malign and scandalise a person.
On behalf of the state government, additional advocate general Bulbul Godiyal had also raised objections regarding the maintainability of the PIL. However, the petitioner counsel Ashok Pandey had then argued that investigation should be done after lodging an FIR.
Salman Khurshid Trust case: HC seeks inquiry report from EOW
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Salman Khurshid Trust case: HC seeks inquiry report from EOW
