The High Court of Punjab and Haryana has refused to entertain a plea of the Dera Sacha Sauda to unfreeze its account to allow a donation of Rs 4 Crore to the COVID 19 Relief Fund.
The High Court had earlier freezed the bank account of Dera Sacha Sauda which is headed by rape and murder convict Gurmeet Ram Rahim, after incidents of violence were reported in Panchkula district when the Court Convicted Gurmeet Ram Rahim in August 2017 in the rape case.
The application filed by Dera submitted that “The country is presently facing unprecedented and emergent situation because of Covid-19 pandemic. The need of the hour is greater than any other time and every citizen is coming and should come forward to help fight the menace in whatever way he can. With this aim, to contribute in this fight against COVID 19, Dera intends to make donations to the relief funds of Central as well as state government. These funds are to be utilized for buying PPE Kits, Ventilators and other emergency things.”
The High Court however rejecting the application observed that the matter required full bench hearing and at present due to the restricted functioning of the Court, the bench was unable to do so.
-India Legal Bureau