Social activist Teesta Setalvad, who is facing criminal case for embezzlement of trust funds, received a hefty amount from US-based hotelier Sant Singh Chatwal, who recently pleaded guilty of violating federal election laws (US poll laws) by using straw donors to secretly funnel money to political campaign.
Highly-placed sources said that Teesta Setalvad’s trust Citizen for Justice & Peace (CJP), which was formed with a purpose of helping riot-hit people in Gujarat, had received Rs 10 lakh from New York-based Chatwal Hotel Corporation on March 30, 2009. In fact, Teesta herself disclosed this information in Form FC-6 submitted to Ministry of Home.
Chatwal was pleaded guilty on April 16, 2014 in a US court for using straw donors to secretly funnel money to political campaigns so that he could gain access to the politicians. Interestingly, Government of India awarded Padma Bhushan to Chatwal for his role in the India-US civilian nuclear deal. He also heads the chain of the Hampshire Hotels.
Teesta, known for anti-Narendra Modi stance had also received fund worth 10,000 Euro from Dutch organisation HIVOS (Humanistisch Instituut voor Ontwikkelingssamenwerking) in December 2009.
The same organisation had given Euro 1,84,000 during financial year 2009-10 to Madhusudan Mistry’s NGO, DISHA, (Development Initiative for Social Human Action). Mistry is contesting against Modi in Vadodara from the Congress ticket.
HIVOS, is the same organisation which organised a lecture on pluralism in Oct-2009 at london, in which Justice Aftab Alam, who was sitting judge of SC at that time, participated and presented a paper, criticising the Supreme Court for not doing justice to the minorities. Shahrukh Alam, daughter of Justice Aftab Alam, (Retd) is closely linked with HIVOS as a core team member of its programme “Pluralism.in”.
Her NGO “The Patna Collective”, is also associated with HIVOS, and funded through a Banglore-based trust “CSCS”. A case was registered by Ahmedabad Crime Branch against Teesta, her husband Javed Anand and three others following a complaint lodged by riot-hit Gulberg Society member.
According to the complaint, the accused allegedly embezzled funds they generated by claiming that Gulberg Society would be converted into a “Museum of Resistence”. Despite fund in tune with Rs 1.5 crore was collected the museum was not built, said the complaint.
