'Why Karkare family's NOC needed to set up NGO in his name?'

MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court has admitted a petition challenging the decision of the Charity Commissioner to reject a proposal for registration of a social organisation in the name of Hemant Karkare for want of no-objection certificate (NOC) from the family of the late IPS officer.

The petition has been filed by Rais Ahmed. On February 8, while admitting the petition for final hearing, Justice R S Gavai asked him why he wanted to name the organisation after Karkare.

Ahmed replied that Karkare, the then chief of Maharashtra ATS, laid down his life for the country fighting the terrorists during the 26/11 Mumbai attack, and a social body in his name would be a fitting tribute to him.

The Assistant Charity Commissioner had rejected Ahmed's proposal to register the organisation as 'Shaheed Karkare Educational and Welfare Society' for want of a NOC from Karkare's family.

Ahmed's petition before the High Court says that the Assistant Charity Commissioner should have initiated an inquiry into the proposal and satisfy himself that it was for a good cause, but instead, the officer rejected it on the ground that an NOC had not been obtained.

Ahmed's case is that Karkare was a martyr and "an illustrious son" of the nation, so there was no need for the assent of his family. When an organisation is named, for instance, after Mahatma Gandhi, the authorities do not seek NOC of Gandhi's heirs, his petition points out.

The state government is yet to file a reply. The petition would come up for further hearing in due course.