Bombay High Court dismisses petition against Anna Hazare

MUMBAI: Refusing to grant any relief, the Bombay High Court today dismissed a public interest litigation filed by a Pune-based activist seeking investigations into the trust of Anna Hazare.

The PIL filed by Hemant Patil, president of Rashtriya Brashtachar Virodhi Janshakti, claimed that Hazare's Hind Swaraj Trust had not submitted audit reports from the year 2005 to 2007 before the Charity Commissioner.

Seeking a probe against Hazare and the trust by Income Tax department and Charity Commissioner, the PIL stated, "The trust has not submitted audit reports showing expenditure from the year 2005 to 2007."

The PIL alleged that trustees including Hazare, were indulging in malpractices and siphoning of funds from the trust.

A division bench headed by Justice D D Sinha while dismissing the PIL, asked the petitioner to approach the Charity Commissioner for relief.

According to the PIL, in May last year, the Charity Commissioner had issued show cause notice to the trust which had not submitted reply.

The PIL had also sought directions to be issued to the trust to submit all the records of its funds and expenditure.