AAP foreign funding not in contravention of law: Govt to HC

The counsel appearing for the Home Ministry told a bench that the Intelligence Bureau report has found nothing against the party

The central government on Wednesday informed the Delhi High Court that nothing had been found against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in a probe regarding allegations that the latter had received offshore funds in violation of FCRA (Foreign Contribution Regulation Act) provisions.

Counsel for the home ministry told a bench, comprising Chief Justice G Rohini and R S Endlaw, that an Intelligence Bureau report has found nothing against AAP. The court, however, directed the government to file a fresh status report in a sealed envelope regarding its findings.

The court reserved the verdict on the plea, seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the past and present foreign funding of the AAP for FCRA violation.

“We will take into consideration all the facts and then decide the matter,” it said.

Advocate Pranav Sachdeva, appearing for the AAP, said the party had not flouted any law in receiving foreign funds and got donations worth Rs 30 crore from Indian citizens only, of which about Rs 8.5 crore came from Non-resident Indians (NRIs) .

Terming the charges levelled against AAP as “baseless”, he said the party had even written to the Supreme Court to set up a special investigation team to probe the funding of all major national and regional parties in the country.

The plea, moved before the high court on February 4, had also sought a  CBI probe against home ministry officials, who in their report had earlier stated that donations made by eight foreign residents to AAP were not in violation of FCRA.