13 October,2016 08:18 AM IST | | Vinay Dalvi
Sanathan Sanstha releases report stating that slain rationalist Narendra Dabholkar's anti-superstition organisation had been pulled up by the charity commissioner for financial wrongdoings
Sanathan Sanstha spokesperson Abhay Vartak shows the report submitted by inspector of charity commissioner showing misappropriation of funds
Dr Narendra Dabholkar's Maharashtra Andha-Shraddha Nirmulan Samiti (ANiS) was facing heat from the office of the charity commissioner, with the latter recommending appointment of an administrator for its trust due to its unsatisfactory operation by the trustees, and a special audit to look into misappropriation of funds, claimed Sanathan Sanstha yesterday.
The outfit released a report supporting its allegations, saying financial misdeeds is what led to Dabholkar's murder and that the Sanstha was unnecessarily being framed for it.
Spokesperson for the Sanstha Abhay Varthak and advocate Sanjiv Punalekar, who is also the national secretary of the Hindu Vidhidnya Parishad, released the report of the inspector of charity commissioner, Satara that was kept before the assistant commissioner for further approval. They said they got the report after filing an RTI application.
What the report says
"Though Dabholkar had always claimed that he never got foreign funding, the report submitted to the charity commissioner shows a different picture. It also shows that ANiS took money from schools in the name of educating them. It also didn't submit balance sheets to the charity commissioner on time for audit, for which it was even fined," said Varthak.
Punalekar said, "The report by the inspector of the charity commissioner clearly suggests appointment of an external auditor on the trust and conducting a special audit, as there were several misdoings. Now that the charges against ANiS trustees have been proved, they should be put behind bars."
It has been claimed that the organisation submitted balance sheets from 1992 to 2002 on September 19, 2003, while balance sheets from 2004 were submitted in 2012 for which it was fined.
More allegations
The report also shows that after 2004 the trust received huge funds running into crores, all of which were invested into fixed deposits, mutual funds and shares. The trust has also allegedly received money from other countries, but no FCRA number is shown on the receipts, neither is there any entry under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act.
Also, there is no description as to where from or from whom the cash came.
The trust has also allegedly collected money from schools for scientific research.
The report also stated that Dabholkar had claimed to have got Rs 10 lakh from Maharashtra Foundation India (America) that he would transfer to the trust account, but as per the 2006 balance sheet, nothing of this sort was done.
The Sanstha also claimed that one ANiS worker was arrested for getting involved in the Naxalite movement and that ANiS was funding Naxals.
The Sanstha has now asked Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to act against ANiS or else, it added, it will approach the Bombay High Court.
