Freezing of Funds: Delhi HC Agrees to Hear DCPCR’s Plea on Jan 10

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday stated that a petition by the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) against the alleged freezing of its funds by the state authorities will be heard on January 10, 2024.

A bench of Justice Subramonium Prasad asked the counsel for the child rights body to serve a copy of the plea to the office of the lieutenant governor and inform about its scheduled listing.

It is to be noted that the petition was heard by the high court after being transferred from the Supreme Court.

“The present petition is received on transfer from the apex court. Petitioner is directed to serve a copy (of the petition) on the respondent informing that the matter is listed tomorrow,” the court stated.

The Top Court had directed the DCPCR to ventilate its grievances before the High Court after it complained that its funds have been frozen by the state authorities. Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, representing the DCPCR, contended before the Supreme Court that the funds of the commission cannot be frozen.

He asked, “How can six million children of the state be told that not a penny is going to come to the commission?”

The Apex Court questioned why “every dispute” between the Delhi government and the Lieutenant Governor (LG) should land before it. The Apex Court directed the plea to be re-numbered as a petition before the High Court.

Last year, Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena approved a Women and Child Development Department’s proposal to institute an inquiry and ordered a special audit into alleged misuse of government funds by DCPCR. Saxena also directed that no further request for allocation of funds by DCPCR will be entertained before the completion of the inquiry and special audit.

Therefore, the DCPCR has said the allegation of misuse of government funds by it is malafide.