The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought the stand of the city lieutenant governor on a petition filed by the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR).
The petition challenges an order that withholds funds to DCPCR pending an inquiry and a special audit, alleging the misuse of government funds. Justice Subramonium Prasad, presiding over the bench, noted that certain portions of the document detailing the actions taken by Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena against the child rights body appeared to have taken on a “political colour.”
The judge expressed concern over the political aspect on page 154 of the document and asked the counsel for the LG to seek instructions.
“I would’ve said ‘audit, go ahead’. (But page) 154 takes a political colour. That’s when my problem begins…The usual foundation and motive problem (is there),” the judge pointed out. The highlighted portion mentioned that DCPCR’s former chairperson, Anurag Kundu, and six members were politically affiliated with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The counsel for the Lieutenant Governor stated that the action was taken based on the recommendation of other state authorities and requested time to seek instructions.
Last year, Lieutenant Governor Saxena approved a proposal from the Women and Child Development (WCD) Department to conduct an inquiry and ordered a special audit due to alleged misuse of government funds by DCPCR. Saxena also directed that no further requests for fund allocation by DCPCR would be entertained until the completion of the inquiry and special audit.
Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, representing DCPCR, informed the high court that the allocation of funds to the child rights body had come to a standstill. DCPCR, in its petition, argued that such a setback paralyzed a statutorily protected and independent institution, endangering emergency response systems for children facing violence, child labour, and begging.
The petition claimed that the investigation had a predetermined and biased outcome, particularly regarding the political affiliation of DCPCR members. The matter is scheduled for the next hearing on January 19, 2024.
