NGOs under judicial scrutiny

CUTTACK: The functioning of NGOs, working for children’s welfare and rehabilitation in the State, has come under judicial scrutiny with the Orissa High Court on Friday issuing notice to the State Government on the matter. Acting on a PIL filed by one Kunja Bihari Patra of Global Human Rights Communications of Puri on the ‘irregularities’ in the Juvenile Observation Home in Berhampur, a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice V Gopalagowda and Justice BN Mohapatra  directed the State Government to file counter within two weeks. While making several allegations, the petitioner has appealed to the court to direct an inquiry into the allegations of abuse on children at the observation home.  Another PIL has also been filed by Legal Aid Services Orissa through its executive chairman Bibek Ananda Mohanti seeking a direction to the State Government to probe the functioning of the NGOs, particularly those running shelter homes for the children in distress, by the Vigilance Department. He also sought to work out mechanism and modalities to monitor the functioning of all such organisations in the State. Citing the case of the Global Village in Sundargarh district, the petitioner alleged that the facility has about 45 orphan children but the organisation is not taking proper care of them despite being funded substantially by the State Government. An FIR has also been lodged against the organisation on allegations of atrocities on and exploitation of children. The petitioner has also appealed to the court to direct the Government to institute a probe by Vigilance into the functioning of all the NGOs running shelter homes for children. He has also called for directions to the State Government to chalk out strict mechanism and regulation to curb the ‘illegalities, irregularities and exploitation’ by the NGOs. The Government should enact a strong law with penal provisions for effective functioning of the NGOs so that the purpose would be achieved and the needy   benefited, he submitted.