Bombay HC says Maha govt and police must uphold services of NGOs

The Bombay High Court has said the Maharashtra government and police department should recognise and uphold the services provided by NGOs and assist them instead of moving the needle of suspicion on such organisations.

In an order passed on October 14, a single bench of Justice Bharati Dange granted anticipatory bail to one Dashrath Kamble, who runs 'The Little Sunshine Foundation', an NGO that raises funds for needy people, specifically young children.

Kamble has been accused of falsely and fraudulently collecting money through crowdfunding, claiming that the amount was for the medical expenses of two children.    

According to the report of PTI, The bench, in its order, noted that it was necessary for the police department to recognise and uphold the services provided by such NGOs and if possible, to assist them in taking their ventures further. Several NGOs provide services to the needy and destitute people through money collected via crowdfunding, it said.

Kamble, while seeking pre-arrest bail, relied on documents provided by Wadia Hospital for Children confirming payment of Rs 50,000 from his NGO and the reason why the surgeries were not performed.

The investigating officer had submitted to the court that the police had collected details of the three bank accounts of Kamble’s NGO and found that between August 2021 and March 2022, Rs 1 crore was credited to the accounts, out of which the organisation has spent Rs 88 lakhs on various activities and services it undertakes.