PANJIM: In a first major case of illegal political funding by a corporate, office bearers of both the Congress and the BJP in Goa has been booked for accepting election funds from Goa’s biggest mining company Sesa.
The Goa Police have registered a case against both the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress office bearers under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act for accepting political funding from Sesa Goa Ltd, Sterlite Industries India Ltd. and Madras Aluminum Company Ltd, all group companies of its London-based parent company Vedanta Resources.
Based on a complaint filed by Ribandar resident Kashinath Shetye, the court in its order had noted that the two political parties apparently received funding from Sesa Goa Limited which is a subsidiary of Vedanta, with its head office in UK (England).
In two separate orders, the Panjim Judicial Magistrate First class (JMFC) has directed the Panjim police inspector to file FIRs against the state units of the BJP and Congress for allegedly receiving illegal foreign funds amounting to Rs 5 crore each from UK-based mining company Vedanta Resources PLC.
The cases have been registered under sections 119, 177, 217, 218, 420 read with 120 – 8 IPC and Section 35 of FRCA and Section 29 B of the Representation of the Peoples Act 1951.
“Prima facie, even the Election Commission of India has found this to be violative of the provisions of the Representation of People’s Act, 1951 and the Foreigner Contribution (Regulation) Act, 1976 as replaced by Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010,” says the order.
Shetye had filed two separate complaints against BJP and Congress in December 2013.
In his complaint against BJP, he had named Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, past and present BJP presidents Laximikant Parsekar and Vinay Tendulkar, MP Shripad Naik, office bearers including central BJP leaders for receiving “donation of Rs 5 crore from Vedanta group subsidiaries like Sterlite industries and Sesa Goa in 2012 of illegal mining money to regularize their illegal mining in Goa and also money received from other Portuguese citizens…”
In his complaint against the Congress, he had named past state presidents Francisco Sardinha and Subhash Shirodkar and other local functionaries, as well as Congress national president and vice-president Sonia and Rahul Gandhi and also former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram.
The complaint said that the Congress also received donation of Rs 5-crore in 2003 and 2004 from Vedanta to regularize the company’s illegal mining in Goa.
Shetye spoils the party
u Original complaint filed by activist Kashinath Shetye against Cong and BJP, in court for accepting election funds of Rs 5 cr from Sesa, a ‘foreign’ company
u JMFC Court directed Panjim police to file FIR against BJP and Cong office bearers under FCRA
u Section 2(1) g (ii) of The Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), 2010 says subsidiary of a foreign company is treated as foreign company
u Vedanta Resources is incorporated in UK and Sesa Sterlite Industries, and Malco are its subsidiaries
u Section 3 of the FCRA prohibits financial contribution from foreign company to a local political party
