PIL filed in Lucknow seeks FIR in Trust scam

A public interest litigation (PIL) filed in the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court said an FIR be registered against people involved in the alleged scam in the Zakir Hussain Trust headed by Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid.

Social activist Nutan Thakur’s plea, which also pleaded for a court-monitored-probe into the case, is likely to come up for hearing on Wednesday.

The petitioner has made not only the government officials but also the news channel that conducted the “sting operation” as respondents in the case.

She argued that the enquiry report of Vikalang Directorate of the state government, on January 12, 2012, had already verified the allegations that there were irregularities in the distribution of equipment to the disabled persons and that signatures were forged in this connection. Even the CAG, in its audit report on the Ministry of Social Justice, has found many irregularities in the utilisation of the funds by the Trust, she added.

She said the only appropriate course of action for the Uttar Pradesh government and its Economic Offences Department (EOW), which is probing the matter, would be to get an FIR registered and to investigate it as per the law.

Thakur prayed the High Court to direct the Home Department and EOW to register an FIR in this matter and to investigate it. She also prayed that the High Court should monitor the investigation as the accused persons are highly influential.

Thakur had earlier filed a PIL seeking a high-level probe into the allegations against Robert Vadra, son-in-law of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. The high court has sought a reply from the prime minister's office.