New Delhi, Feb 18 (IANS) The central government Wednesday told the Delhi High Court that the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) foreign funds were investigated and nothing was found in violation of the law.
A division bench of Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice R.S Endlaw also asked the ministry of home affairs to submit its revised or up-to-date report with regard to its findings in the matter, in a sealed cover by 4 p.m. Wednesday.
The bench reserved the order on the public interest litigation (PIL) that sought a CBI probe into foreign funds the AAP received in the past and now in violation of law.
The PIL was filed by advocate M.L. Sharma against AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and others saying that AAP has been receiving foreign funds in violation of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA).
The counsel appearing for the Centre told the court that the earlier government had investigated the issue and filed a status report and nothing was found against AAP.
"The issue was investigated, there was nothing which was found out," he added.
Recently, AAP Volunteer Action Manch (AVAM), a group of volunteers who broke away from the AAP in August last year, accused the party of receiving Rs.2 crore in four equal instalments from companies registered in Delhi slums and having the same set of directors.
The group claimed that April 5, 2014, four bogus companies made donations of Rs.50 lakh each through cheques to AAP at midnight.
It alleged that the companies made these donations even though they have not earned profits for two years.
Sharma claimed that it has been revealed that lakhs of phone calls from Dubai and other countries have been made to Delhi, especially to the Muslim community for supporting AAP's election.
"The AAP now has been securing funds from foreign country, especially Muslim terrorist, in cash converting through false cheques as well as phone calls to Delhi from Dubai and other countries...," the plea said.
However, appearing for the AAP, advocate Pranav Sachdeva told the court that the issue of AVAM is being investigated by the government and it has cooperated on the issue.
AAP is the only party which asked the Supreme Court to set up a SIT on funding received by all national and regional political parties, he further said.
The bench after hearing all the parties reserved the order on the PIL and said: "Order reserved. We will pass the order."
The plea named Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, advocates Shanti Bhushan and Prashant Bhushan and said AAP and its members were promoted and funded by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the US through various companies and trusts such as the Ford Foundation.
Earlier, the court had directed the central government to go through the details of the money donated to AAP since its inception Nov 26, 2012 and to take action if anything was found in violation of the FCRA.
Weather Update: Alert in 32 districts of UP, chances of rain in these states including Uttarakhand
Monsoon is kind in the northern states of the country. Rain alert has been issued in 32 districts of UP on Thursday. At the same time, apart from Uttarakhand, Bihar, and Jharkhand, some parts of
Rozgar Mela: PM Modi distributed appointment letters to 51 thousand youth, said- New India is doing wonders today
Rozgar Mela: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today distributed appointment letters to 51 thousand youth through video conferencing. During this, he said that the new India is doing wonders and the
Attempt to murder case: BJP MLA Nitesh Rane ordered to surrender, SC said - take regular bail
Union Minister Narayan Rane's son and BJP MLA Nitesh Rane, implicated in an attempt to murder case, has got immediate relief from the Supreme Court. While hearing the case, the Supreme Court has given
Weather Update Today: There will be rain in these districts of UP-Bihar today, know the weather condition of other states of the country
Rains are continuing in many states of the country. The Meteorological Department has issued an alert of heavy rain at many places in UP, Bihar, Uttarakhand, MP, and Himachal Pradesh today. Talking
New Rules: From UPI to LPG gas prices... what will change from today? Know the answer to every question here
Every month brings new changes. In this sequence, today i.e. from August 1, some such rules are also changing which can have a direct impact on you. These changes include many important changes in
Indian Economy: NSO said- the foundation of domestic GDP is strong, Finance Minister said- India is successful in dealing with inflation
Based on strong economic fundamentals, various reforms, and business activities, India remains the fastest-growing economy in the world even in the second quarter of the current financial year. This
Vote For Note: The Supreme Court reversed its own decision in the note for vote case, said - MP-MLAs are not exempted
The Supreme Court has given its verdict on the issue of currency notes for votes. The bench has overturned its previous decision of 26 years. CJI has expressed disagreement on giving relief to the
Kerala connection of Hezbollah pager blast! Why are the police investigating the background of a person of Indian origin?
After the name of 37-year-old Indian-origin entrepreneur Rinson Jose surfaced in the recent Pager blasts in Lebanon, the Kerala Police on Sunday started a family investigation into his background. A
The government told Twitter, do not to use Twitter for anti-India campaign
The Government of India has said in a strong tone from Twitter that in India it has to follow the Indian laws. The government has also expressed displeasure over the delay in following orders to ban
India Legends vs Australia Legends 1st Semifinal: Sachin Tendulkar's India Legends made it to the final, beat AUS by 5 wickets in the semi-final
India Legends beat Australia Legends by 5 wickets in the first semifinal of Road Safety World Series 2022 to make it to the final, where they will face the winner between West Indies and Sri Lanka.