Non-Bailable Warrant Against Congress Leader Salman Khurshid’s Wife, Louise Khurshid

Warrant against Louise Khurshid: A non-bailable warrant was recently issued against Louise Khurshid, the wife of former Union minister Salman Khurshid, in a case related to Dr Zakir Hussain Memorial Trust funds. Chief Judicial Magistrate Praveen Kumar Tyagi in the District Court, Farukkhabad, issued the warrant against Louise Khurshid, who was the project director of the trust, and secretary Athar Farooqui, for allegedly misappropriating Rs 71.50 lakh received as central grants by the charitable trust. The trust fund was meant for aide of disabled people.

Non-bailable warrant issued against Louis Khurshid, wife of former Union Minister and Congress leader Salman Khurshid, in connection with Zakir Hussain Memorial Trust case in CJM Court, Fatehgarh pic.twitter.com/633ZF5zET4

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The next date for the hearing in the case is set for August 16.

What is the case?

The Trust had received over Rs 71 lakh from the central government in March 2010 to distribute wheelchairs and other equipment to physically challenged persons across 17 districts of Uttar Pradesh. In July 2011, an inquiry revealed that the money allocated to the NGO was never allocated to the intended 192 beneficiaries. Hence, the allegations of corruption and forgery were made against the Trust's office-bearers. All this happened while Salman Khurshid was a minister in the UPA government. Khurshid’s family, however, denied the allegations.

The Trust had earlier said it had organised camps for differently-abled children across over a dozen districts of UP for the distribution of equipment and Louise Khurshid herself had confirmed it as the director of the Trust in May 2010. But it was later revealed that the camps allegedly existed only on paper.

As per various reports, in 2017, a total of 17 FIRs were registered by the economic offenses wing of UP Police against the Congress leader's wife across various districts. In December 2019, a chargesheet in the case was filed, further alleging that senior Uttar Pradesh officials' signatures were forged and their fake seals were used to collect the money from the Union government for the welfare of the disabled.

Feature Image Credit: India TV News