The Central Bureau of Investigation is conducting searches at the home of Supreme Court lawyer Indira Jaising — who served as additional solicitor general during UPA 2 — and the offices of Lawyers Collective, an NGO run by her husband lawyer Anand Grover, officials said on Thursday.
The searches are taking place at Jaising’s Nizamuddin home and office, the Lawyers Collective office in Jangpura and an office in Mumbai from 5 am, the officials said.
Grover was booked by the CBI for alleged Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act violations in receiving foreign aid.
When contacted, Grover asked not to be disturbed as he was in the “midst” of it (searches).
Lawyers Collective issued a strong denial of all the charges levelled by the CBI.
The agency filed an FIR against Grover and the NGO on the basis of a complaint from the ministry of home affairs, which alleged several discrepancies in the utilisation of foreign aid received by the group.
Jaising is not named as an accused in the FIR, but her alleged role figures in the home ministry complaint.
The CBI booked Grover, president, Lawyers Collective, and unidentified office-bearers of the organisation, besides unidentified officials.
According to the home ministry complaint, which is now a part of the FIR, the group had received foreign aid worth over Rs 32.39 crore between 2006-2007 and 2014-2015, wherein irregularities were committed that amounted to violation of the FCRA.
Based on available information and scrutiny of records of the NGO available with the MHA, prima facie violations of various provisions of the FCRA, 2010 were noticed, the ministry said.
It added that on site inspection of books of accounts and records of the NGO was conducted from January 19 to 23, 2016.
Jaising, Grover and Lawyers Collective issued a statement, disputing ‘any allegation of misutilisation of any funds’.
‘It is obvious to us that this is victimisation on account of Ms Jaising taking up the issue of the procedure adopted in relation to allegations of sexual harassment against the Chief Justice of India by a former employee of the Supreme Court, which Ms Jaising has done so in her capacity as a concerned citizen, a senior member of the bar and a women’s rights advocate, without commenting on merits of the allegations,’ the statement had said.
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