Delhi HC serves notice on Cong, BJP over foreign funds
04 Feb 2013
The Delhi High Court today issued notices to the ruling Congress party at the centre and the opposition Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) on a petition alleging that the two accepted donations from the Indian subsidiaries of UK-based Vedanta Resources in violation of the law.
The court served notices on the two parties on a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the Association for Democratic Reforms, an NGO and EAS Sarma, a former secretary in the central government.
The PIL, filed through senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, alleged that by receiving funds from Vedanta Resources both Congress and the BJP have violated various laws.
The PIL alleged that the two parties breached the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA). Political parties are barred from taking donations from government companies and from foreign sources.
The petition sought a court directive to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the alleged acceptance by both the parties from subsidiaries of UK-based Vedanta Group.
A division bench of justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Indermeet Kaur also sought responses from the two parties over the allegations of accepting donations from subsidiaries of Britain-based Vedanta Group.
