The Gujarat High Court has acted on a petition regarding the misuse of the Prime Ministers National Relief Fund by BJP legislator Shankar Chaudhary to re-construct an earthquake-affected school building. It has asked Chaudharys lawyer to take instructions if the MLA wants to repay the sum of Rs 20.78 lakh together with interest. According to the details,one Farsubhai Goklani from Mehsana district had filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the HC in 2007 alleging that Chaudhary had fraudulently obtained Rs 20.78 lakhs from the relief fund to construct a building. Chaudhary ran the school Nalanda Kanya Vidhyalay through a trust from a rented building,which suffered damage during the 2001 earthquake. According to Goklani,Chaudhary obtained the money to construct a building elsewhere. Calling this a fraud,Goklani filed a PIL seeking the HCs intervention in the matter. Recently,the HC asked the state government and Chaudhary to file an affidavit to ascertain the ownership of the damaged building for which the grant was given. Goklanis lawyer said the state government and Chaudhary have confessed that the latter did not own the building. The state government also pleaded ignorance on how the grant was sanctioned to Chaudhary. On Friday,a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice S J Mukhopadhaya and Justice Akil Kureshi asked Chaudharys lawyer to take instructions whether Chaudhary wants to repay the amount to the Centre along with the interest. The court said: The Counsel appearing on behalf of the fifth respondent (Chaudhary) is allowed two weeks time to obtain instruction whether he is agreeable to pay back the amount invested from the Prime Ministers National Relief Fund for construction of the school building in question ,along with interest. Further hearing has been kept for April 7. Court rejects demand for gag on mediaAfter the court passed the order,Chaudharys lawyer demanded a direction to the effect that the news related to the matter does not get published or broadcast in media. Rejecting the demand,the Chief Justice observed that the court is not concerned with the media
