New Delhi, Feb 16 : The Delhi High Court on Friday criticised the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) for its "irresponsible action" in filing a petition against the alleged freezing of its funds by the authorities.

In January, Lt Governor V.K. Saxena had filed an affidavit saying that no order was issued to halt the funding of the DCPCR.

Justice Subramonium Prasad criticised the DCPCR for relying on a purported press release to accuse L-G of withholding funding, calling the response "wishy-washy" and said that allegations against a constitutional authority must be made with the utmost responsibility.

The court said that the DCPCR's reliance on a non-existent press release was unacceptable.

Justice Prasad said that the office of the L-G cannot be undermined in such a manner.

During the hearing, the petitioner's counsel argued that the press release was widely reported by prominent news outlets, some of which attributed the information to L-G's office.

However, the court dismissed this argument, stating that the issue of press reporting was irrelevant to the present petition. Furthermore, the court noted that the alleged "press release" lacked an official logo and questioned its authenticity.

The counsel for the L-G pointed out that the response filed by the petitioner was by a person who was no longer a member of the commission, further adding to the court's concerns.

The court adjourned the matter for further hearing on February 29 and directed the DCPCR to file a reply by someone currently in the office of the petitioner.

Earlier, L-G's counsel had submitted that the press release mentioned in the petition, indicating the action to stop funding pending an inquiry, was never issued by L-G's office.

The affidavit also stated that no press release dated November 9, 2023, was issued or signed by the L-G or his secretariat, as being claimed.

The counsel had last time stressed on the seriousness of the matter, saying that the press release in question was not authentic.

Justice Prasad had directed the counsel to submit his statements on an affidavit.

On January 10, the court had asked the L-G for his stance on the panel's petition, challenging the withholding of funds pending an inquiry and special audit over alleged misuse of government funds. Justice Prasad had noted that certain portions of the press note on the action ordered by L-G against the child rights body took a "political colour" and had asked the L-G's counsel to seek instructions.

The press note in question mentioned that DCPCR's former Chairperson, Anurag Kundu, and six members were politically affiliated with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and had expressed concern about the potential political motivations behind the action. Saxena's counsel had stated that the action was taken based on the recommendation of other state authorities and requested time to seek instructions.

Last year, Saxena approved an inquiry and special audit into the alleged misuse of funds by DCPCR, directing a halt to further fund allocation until the completion of the inquiry.

The DCPCR's senior advocate informed the court that the allocation of funds to the child rights body had stopped.

This petition was transferred from the Supreme Court, where on December 15, the apex court had instructed the DCPCR to present its grievances before the Delhi HC.

Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, representing the DCPCR, had argued in the Supreme Court that the funds of the commission should not be frozen, stressing the impact on the services provided to six million children in the city.

/IANS