Delhi LG Has Not Stopped Funds Of DCPCR, No Press Release Issued: Delhi High Court Told

The Delhi High Court was informed on Friday that no order has been passed by Lieutenant Governor (LG) Vinai Kumar Saxena for stopping the funding of Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR).

The submission was made by LG's counsel, on instructions, before Justice Subramonium Prasad who was hearing a plea moved by the child rights body against stopping of its funds pending an inquiry and a special audit over allegations of “misuse of government funds.”

The counsel submitted that no order was ever passed by the LG stopping DCPCR's funding and that the press release annexed in the petition (on the action purportedly ordered by LG) was never issued by the LG office.

“This so called press release has never been issued by the LG. This is quite serious,” the counsel said.

The court then asked the counsel to put his submissions on an affidavit and file the same within four days. The matter will now be heard on January 25.

According to DCPCR's plea, LG in November last year had issued the press note approving the Delhi Government's Women and Child Development Department's proposal to initiate an inquiry and ordered a special audit over alleged misuse of government funds by it.

Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for DCPCR, had earlier said that the allocation of funds has been brought to a grinding halt.

The petition has come to the Delhi High Court after being transferred from the Supreme Court, observing that not every issue between the Delhi Government and LG could be covered under an Article 32 petition before the Apex Court.

The plea states that insufficient funding severely threatens the programmes of the child rights body and that such an action threatens its functional independence as well.

It adds that the inquiry is “extraneous” and a special audit is not within the scheme of the Commission of the Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005.

“The same has been initiated only after Petitioner No 1 (DCPCR) moved against the school run by Respondent No 4 (Kuldeep Chahal) who is a political person associated in a leadership capacity with the party in dispensation at Centre that advises Respondent No 1 (LG),” the plea reads.

Title: DELHI COMMISSION FOR PROTECTION OF CHILD RIGHTS v. LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR, NCT OF DELHI