07-08-2006, 01:40 AM
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<b>NBA 'anti-national acts' under SC scanner </b>
Pioneer News Service | New Delhi
Anti-dam crusader Medha Patkar received a nasty jolt on Friday when the Supreme Court admitting a plea to investigate the anti-national activities of Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) issued notices to the Centre, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh Governments, to respond on actions taken against Patkar's organisation. <!--emo&:cool--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/specool.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='specool.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Hearing a public interest litigation filed by a non-government organisation, the National Council for Civil Liberties (NCCL), the Bench of Chief Justice YK Sabharwal and Justice CK Thakker also issued notices to NBA and one Rahul Banerjee, alleged to be a close associate of NBA. <b>Banerjee was arrested by the Madhya Pradesh police for receiving foreign funds on behalf of NBA into his bank accounts.</b>
However, the Bench restrained from making Patkar a party in the case and served a notice through the NBA as sufficient material was not found personally against her. The court also did not entertain the petitioner's plea to let Central Bureau of Investigation investigate the case. The Bench opined that the stage had not yet arrived.
The petition was based on allegations against NBA in a vigilance report prepared by the Madhya Pradesh Government following an incident of firing in which four persons were killed. Police had swooped down on Rahul Banerjee, a close associate of <span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>NBA and seized several documents from his possession which indicated that the organisation had received US $ 42,000 from McArthur Foundation (USA) and Oxfam (UK) and Goldman Foundation.</span>
The petition alleged these funds were used for running <b>NBA secretariats and Jan Sahyog trusts and for lobbying in its favour in the USA</b>. The vigilance report further indicated that a sum of more than <b>Rs 35 lakh was deposited in various fictitious accounts maintained by Banerjee. </b>In this regard, a first information report (FIR) was lodged in the State.
Raising its concern over the alleged "anti-national" activities of NBA, the petitioner through counsel Amar Dave contended that despite such serious charges being framed in the vigilance report, no action was being initiated against Patkar or the NGO by the State Governments.
<b>The petition also highlights a slew of FIRs pending against Patkar for organising attacks on Government officials and creating hurdles in the smooth implementation of the various Government projects by vandalising rehabilitation centres, schools and hospitals. In this regard, the petitioner demanded the State Governments to submit an action taken report (ATR) based on the vigilance report and the investigation conducted.</b>
<b>In the past, the Madhya Pradesh Government in its affidavit submitted before the Supreme Court had conceded the role of NBA in discouraging people from taking up the rehabilitation packages offered by the State in lieu of displacement caused on account of construction of dam over river Narmada</b>. Expressing satisfaction over the Supreme Court's verdict, NCCL president VK Saxena said, "this is a step in the right direction." Commenting on notices being issued by the court to NBA and Banerjee, he commented, <b>"this has vindicated our stand that the NBA is engaging in anti-national activities which requires thorough investigation</b>."<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Â
<b>NBA 'anti-national acts' under SC scanner </b>
Pioneer News Service | New Delhi
Anti-dam crusader Medha Patkar received a nasty jolt on Friday when the Supreme Court admitting a plea to investigate the anti-national activities of Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) issued notices to the Centre, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh Governments, to respond on actions taken against Patkar's organisation. <!--emo&:cool--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/specool.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='specool.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Hearing a public interest litigation filed by a non-government organisation, the National Council for Civil Liberties (NCCL), the Bench of Chief Justice YK Sabharwal and Justice CK Thakker also issued notices to NBA and one Rahul Banerjee, alleged to be a close associate of NBA. <b>Banerjee was arrested by the Madhya Pradesh police for receiving foreign funds on behalf of NBA into his bank accounts.</b>
However, the Bench restrained from making Patkar a party in the case and served a notice through the NBA as sufficient material was not found personally against her. The court also did not entertain the petitioner's plea to let Central Bureau of Investigation investigate the case. The Bench opined that the stage had not yet arrived.
The petition was based on allegations against NBA in a vigilance report prepared by the Madhya Pradesh Government following an incident of firing in which four persons were killed. Police had swooped down on Rahul Banerjee, a close associate of <span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>NBA and seized several documents from his possession which indicated that the organisation had received US $ 42,000 from McArthur Foundation (USA) and Oxfam (UK) and Goldman Foundation.</span>
The petition alleged these funds were used for running <b>NBA secretariats and Jan Sahyog trusts and for lobbying in its favour in the USA</b>. The vigilance report further indicated that a sum of more than <b>Rs 35 lakh was deposited in various fictitious accounts maintained by Banerjee. </b>In this regard, a first information report (FIR) was lodged in the State.
Raising its concern over the alleged "anti-national" activities of NBA, the petitioner through counsel Amar Dave contended that despite such serious charges being framed in the vigilance report, no action was being initiated against Patkar or the NGO by the State Governments.
<b>The petition also highlights a slew of FIRs pending against Patkar for organising attacks on Government officials and creating hurdles in the smooth implementation of the various Government projects by vandalising rehabilitation centres, schools and hospitals. In this regard, the petitioner demanded the State Governments to submit an action taken report (ATR) based on the vigilance report and the investigation conducted.</b>
<b>In the past, the Madhya Pradesh Government in its affidavit submitted before the Supreme Court had conceded the role of NBA in discouraging people from taking up the rehabilitation packages offered by the State in lieu of displacement caused on account of construction of dam over river Narmada</b>. Expressing satisfaction over the Supreme Court's verdict, NCCL president VK Saxena said, "this is a step in the right direction." Commenting on notices being issued by the court to NBA and Banerjee, he commented, <b>"this has vindicated our stand that the NBA is engaging in anti-national activities which requires thorough investigation</b>."<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->