(IN) Maneka NGO faces heat from pet seller: For information and necessary support to Smt. Maneka Gandhi

[Guest guest]

Dear friends,

Please have a look for your information and necessary support to Smt. Maneka

Gandhi and her NGO during these hard days...as I have already informed Smt.

Gandhi in advance about this development via Sonya Ghosh.

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/index.php?option=com_content & task=view & id=59637 & sec\

tionid=4 & secid= & Itemid=1 & issueid=121

 

Member of Parliament and animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi may be in for

trouble.

 

The Delhi Police commissioner has ordered the crime branch to register a

case against her and her NGO, People for Animals (PFA), for allegedly

creating hurdles in the way of a pet shop owner in south Delhi from running

his business.

 

The commissioner has directed the crime branch to probe the matter against

Maneka and her employees under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code

(IPC), according to the status report filed by the police in the high court.

The report was filed by the police in a case where pet shop owner Ashok

Pratap Rai moved the Delhi High Court, seeking registration of an FIR

against Maneka and five members of her NGO. He has alleged in his petition

that Maneka sent her men posing as officials of the wildlife department to

raid his shop, which, according to him, was illegal as the birds and animals

he deals in are not covered by the Wildlife Protection Act.

 

In his criminal writ petition, Rai alleged that on May 21, 2008, five

persons claiming to be from 14, Ashoka Road (Maneka Gandhi's address), and

posing as wildlife inspectors barged into his shop and hurled abuses at his

wife. When his wife insisted they identify themselves properly, they

threatened her with dire consequences. He also alleged that the men kept

harassing his wife and even pushed her around. Later, they identified

themselves as people from Maneka's NGO and, thereafter, they called

policemen from the Mehrauli police station.

 

The counsel for Maneka, Rohan Garg, has a different story. " When the NGO

conducted a raid at the petitioner's shop, the petitioner misbehaved and

threatened the NGO employees, saying he had high contacts. These are mere

pressure tactics to put undue pressure on Maneka. The NGO has caught the

petitioner illegally selling birds and animals protected under the Wildlife

Act. However, the matter is still pending before the court and we have full

faith in the judicial system, " Garg said.

 

He said the petitioner was yet to file a rejoinder. " The registrar's court

has given the last opportunity to the petitioner to file a rejoinder on the

counteraffidavit filed by us, " he said.

 

Rai claimed his business was not violating any law under the Prevention of

Cruelty to Animals Act and for his business, no formal permit was required.

But, according to him, the NGO employees paid no heed and called a wildlife

official, who too declared that the animals kept by him were not covered

under the Wildlife Act.

 

According to the petitioner, Maneka even tried to pressure a wildlife

official to book a false case against him, but the official did not relent

under pressure. When Rai went to the police to file an FIR against Maneka

and her men Saurav Gupta, Gaurav Gupta, Ajeet Singh and Mohit Dutta, the

police turned down his plea.

 

Finally, Rai moved the high court to register a case. The court took

cognisance of the matter and issued notices to Maneka, the PFA and the Delhi

Police, asking for a reply in the matter. In its report, the commissioner of

police directed the crime branch to register a case and investigate the

matter under relevant sections-147 (rioting), 149 and 354 (assault or using

criminal force on a woman) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC and

under other relevant acts.

 

The petition further attacked Maneka and her NGO, saying these NGOs are

often found harassing pet shop owners on one pretext or the other to extort

money. " These NGOs use their muscle power as well as their resources in

government to blackmail pet shop owners on the pretext of cruelty to animals

and frame them in false cases. Thereafter, they pick up exotic birds and

dogs, only to declare them dead later. However, they sell them for a

profit, " Imtiaz Ahmed, counsel for Rai, alleged.

 

Under the provisions of wildlife law, the petitioner also questioned the

raid conducted by Maneka's NGO. " Under Section 32 of the Prevention of

Cruelty to Animals Act 1960, only a police officer of a specified rank or

any person authorised by the state government on his behalf and having a

reason to believe commission of offence under the Act has power to enter and

search a place. Neither the NGO run by Maneka nor the intruders sent by her

were authorised to conduct such a raid, " the petition stated.

 

 

Representative of the International Organization for Animal Protection in

India,

-http://www.oipa.org/oipa/news/oipaindia.html

-http://www.oipa.org/oipaindia.html

-http://www.oipa.org/OIPA%20INDIA/hunting.html,

Chairman - PFA Haryana

-http://www.pfaharyana.in

-http://nareshkadyan.blogspot.com/

Mobile - +91...

- +91- 9313312099

My book -http://nareshkadyanbook.blogspot.com/