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When will financial scrutiny of scams committed by of ‘Andha-shraddha Nirmulan Samiti (ANiS)’ Trust be conducted which is trying to scrutinize Dharma ?

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Hindu Janajagruti SamitiCorrupt and anti-Dharma activities of ANiS, which has been misleading people by using words like rationalism, scientific perspective, eradication of superstitions and ‘Dharma-chikitsa’ etc., are being slowly exposed. On 20th August 2013, after murder of Dr. Narendra Dabholkar, the Executive President of ‘Andha-shraddha Nirmulan Samiti (ANiS)’, there has been competition to show how Dr. Dabholkar was a great social worker. Few appeals are made to observe certain ‘Days’ in his name. In fact, various machineries had started inquiry into different scams and corrupt practices followed in the Trust operated by him while he was alive. Members of ANiS, who are otherwise wearing mask of rationalism and demanding answers (Jawab Do) all over the State for pressurizing investigating agencies, are keeping mum on scams in their own Trust. Moreover, ANiS needs to give answers (Jawab Do) about where the money worth millions of rupees donated to the Trust, by keeping ‘faith’ in Dabholkar, is going. Dabholkar used to say that he had no problem if inquiry was conducted against him. Then why are his inheritors afraid to face inquiry into ‘Trust’? There seems to be something fishy since Dabholkar family is not coming in the open with this information. There is therefore, need to scrutinize financial dealings of ANiS which is making noise about need for scrutinizing Dharma; while wearing mask of rationalism and scientific perspective. This article is on the above issues !

Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS) had lodged complaints with different departments of the Government, demanding inquiry into scam involving billions of rupees in managing ‘ANiS’ Trust. In this context, report was submitted by Inspector and Superintendent at Satara Public Trust registration office on 28.6.2016 and another report was submitted by Assistant Charitable Commissioner, Satara on 3.8.2017. They have recommended to concerned officers for appointment of an Administrator on the Trust and for conducting special audit of the Trust. Some parts of these reports are given below.

* Main points listed in inquiry conducted into scams committed by ANiS Trust !

  1. Applications for transfer of trustees of the Trust for the period 1998-99 to 2011-12 have been submitted on 26.4.2012 in one slot after we lodged complaint and there are corrections/ changes carried out in those applications. Narratives have been written again and again; while Trustees have made changes conveniently even in the narratives.
  2. There has been delay in submitting accounts; therefore, Charity Commissioner has levied fine to the Trust.
  3. Dabholkar has not paid contribution to the Government against donations received; thus depriving Government of their income. ANiS had earlier falsely claimed that ‘it was not imperative for ANiS to pay contribution to Government since they work in education field.’ The Charity Commissioner, however, didn’t grant any concession to ANiS in paying contribution.
  4. Income of this Trust has considerably increased since the year 2004 and large amounts have been invested by this Trust. There seems to be truth in the complaint lodged by the complainant. It has been observed that the Trust has invested billions of Rupees in term deposits, mutual funds, shares etc but it has not maintained proper accounts of details of such investments as required under Schedule 10- A ( Rule 21(2) Part 3) nor has the Trust submitted its applications for prescribed changes to Charity Commissioner’s office. It shows that the Trust has, prima facie, committed breach of clause 35 of Mumbai Public Trust Management Regulation Act, 1950.
  5. ANiS has undertaken a project titled ‘Vaidnyanik Janivaa’ under which it has collected millions of rupees through holding self-study examinations in schools.
  6. It has been observed that the Trust has been registered with Union Government’s Home Department under Foreign Exchange Regulation Act and it has received millions of rupees as donations from foreign countries. On examining its collection receipts, it is seen that there was no FCRA registration Account on such receipts; moreover, there is no registration no. on them required as per 80 (G) of Income Tax Act. The amounts collected are spent on the purposes other than for which they were collected by the Trust such as high amount of honorarium to Trustees and donations to other organizations etc. There are however, no relevant resolutions passed by the Trust in that connection.
  7. Dr. Narendra Dabholkar was paid Rs. 10 lakhs by Maharashtra Foundation India (America) in the year 2006 by way of award. There is reference of giving that amount to the Trust. It was, however, found in actual inquiry that there was no mention of such amount in audit report of 2006 or in ledger books.
  8. The Trust has received large donations from abroad. It is stated that ANiS had given information about the same to Union Home Ministry; but there is difference in the information given and the actual papers of this Trust. The registers of income of moveable and immovable assets are not updated. Moreover, necessary applications for transfer have not been submitted to the office. There is no detailed report on donations received from abroad, submitted by the Accountant.
  9. The Trust seems to have committed breach of clause 35 while keeping the money as deposits. Amounts have been kept with many banks such as ‘Rayat Sevak Sahakati Bank’, Shamrao Vitthal Cooperative Bank etc.
  10. The Trust has created different funds but necessary certificate has not been presented. In all, there seems to be truth in the complaints lodged by complainants. There also seems to be irregularities in the working of this Trust. It will not be proper to deduce that the Trust was working as per the provisions of law and it was transparent.

*Serious observations made by Assistant Charity Commissioner, Satara’s Superintendent

  1. “The Trust has collected donations/ grants on large scale from abroad and it has collected various funds in different forms from the Government and schools. The money has not been used for the purpose for which it was collected. The funds have been misused. There is doubt whether audit was conducted regularly or not because there is delay in submission. Donations have been received in crores and shown as income, are not however, recorded in time and it has led to huge loss to the Government due to non-receipt of contribution.
  2. . Changes made in appointment of Trustees have not been submitted since the foundation of Trust. As per the Constitution of this Trust, trustees appointed in the beginning would stay in office for 5 years and later 2 trustees would retire every year and those seats would be filled; but changes in Trustees have not been submitted and only 1-2 trustees are seen on its records. Other trustees are not alive. Trust has no trustees till the application advising change is approved. Persons who are operating this Trust are ‘Defacto Managers’.
  3.  It has been observed from the above that the Trust has no official executive committee/ trustees. It is therefore, necessary to appoint a legal expert as administrator for managing this Trust. It is also seen from the audit reports submitted by the Trust and the nature of complaint of the applicant that special audit needs to be conducted, were the serious observations made.

*Main points mentioned in Assistant Charity Commissioner, Satara’s report !

  1. Professor G. P. Pradhan, a progressive thinker from Pune had merged his ‘Vasudha Manovikas Pratishthan’s property with the Trust of ‘Maharashtra Andha-shraddha Nirmulan Samiti.’ Such statement has been made by Dr. Dabholkar in 2012 under his own signature; but that property has not been shown by ANiS anywhere in its records. Where has the huge property given by such eminent personality gone ?
  2. Only after HJS lodged complaint, did ANiS submit its financial statements, balance sheet and relevant papers with Charity Commissioner’s office.
  3. ANiS has openly committed breach of laws for bringing money from other countries e.g. funds donated by Maharashtra Foundation in America was given to ANiS through ‘Keshav Gore Smarak Trust’. Reason for doing it has not been clarified.
  4. Property (land etc) was purchased at Sawantwadi and it was sold without approval, in suspicious manner.
  5. Monthly periodicals, newsletters and other periodicals are published out of ANiS Trust’s income; but why the income accrued from the same, is not shown in income of the Trust? Where does such income go? (As per the information obtained under RTI, income earned out of advertisements related to Diwali issue as per the rate-card for special Diwali Nov-Dec 2012 issue of ANiS, is Rs.20,56, 500/- while income from subscribers is more than Rs. 14 lakhs. Such huge income has not been shown by ANiS in its financial papers for 2012-13 and it has been going on for many years. Even earlier, ANiS has not submitted financial accounts and not reported changes in activities.”)
  6. Many books are printed and sold by ANiS; but their sale amount is not shown in its accounts. Trustees of ANiS claim that they didn’t sell books but gift such books. The cost of the books is printed on books and is shown even in advertisement. Why are these books then printed?
  7. It has been observed from available papers that ANiS has branches all over the State and country but no accounts related to any of those branches have been submitted. Money belonging to Trust has been invested in wrong place.
  8. Chief Secretary of ANiS Prashant Potdar was given a car which was bought for Rs.4,56,388/- while in accounts, the cost has been shown as Rs.4,92,851/-. Thus, the operations of ANiS are not transparent. Money has been shown as spent on Indica Car but there is no record of the same in its annual report, about possessing such car.
  9. ANiS Trust has spent lot of money on staging of a play titled ‘Ringan’ and ‘Socrates to Dabholkar……”there is nothing on record regarding taking permission of the Trust or office bearers of the Trust for spending money on plays. It is therefore, necessary to check whether all such expenses were made for appropriate purposes.

ANiS has been committing breach of laws and still making noise about ‘Save Constitution’ which is quackery of ANiS. Considering all observations and statements made by office of Charity Commissioner as mentioned above, an Administrator should be immediately appointed on Trust of ANiS set up by Dabholkar, who is known for scam and all the money misused earlier, may be fixed and recovered from the concerned. We have made claim many times earlier that Dabholkar, if alive, would have been in jail. Today, it has been proved that it is true; therefore, it is our demand that had Dabholkar been imprisoned, who would have come into trouble; who are involved in various financial scams; is there any connection between them and his murder are some of the mysteries and all trustees and persons connected with financial dealings of this Trust should be interrogated for finding true killer of Dabholkar and legal action should be taken against them.

– Shri. Sunil Ghanavat, State coordinator, Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, Maharashtra


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