LUCKNOW: Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid’s wife Louise Khurshid has moved an application for an anticipatory bail in a district court of Etah in an alleged case of misappropriation of central funds.
She came under the scanner of Economic Offence Wing (EOW) in connection with her alleged involvement in a nine-year-old case of embezzlement, meant for the distribution of equipment including wheelchairs among physically challenged children.
Hearing her plea, the Etah court judge Renu Agarwal posted the matter for Thursday, October 3. Moreover, the court also directed the accused persons to appear in the court on next date of hearing.
Louise Khurshid has been a member of UP Legislative Assembly from Kayamaganj seat of Farrukhabad in 2002.
As the case dates back to 2009-10, in a trust – Dr Zakir Hussain Memorial Trust -- run by the then Union Minister Salman Khurshid and his wife Louise, misappropriation of over Rs 71 lakh had surfaced.
In fact, in March 2010, Dr Zakir Husain Memorial Trust had received a grant of Rs 71.50 lakh from the Central government for distribution of wheelchairs, tricycles and hearing aids among physically challenged persons in 17 districts of Uttar Pradesh.
Allegations of corruption and forgery were levelled against the Trust’s office-bearers. It was alleged that signatures of senior officials of Uttar Pradesh were forged and their fake seals were used to receive grants from the Union government for the welfare of the disabled.
But the grant was neither disbursed meant for the disabled children nor they could explain how those funds were utilised.
In fact, the trust had organised camps for differently-abled children across over a dozen districts – Etah, Etawah, Farrukhabad, Kasganj, Mainpuri, Aligarh, Shajahanpur, Meerut, Bareilly, Moradabad, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Rampur, Sant Kabir Nagar and Allahabad (now Prayagraj) -- of UP for distribution of equipment.
It was claimed that equipment was distributed among children and Louise Khurshid had verified it as the director of the Trust in May 2010.
It was later discovered that camps for the disabled allegedly existed only on paper. Its investigation team contacted people from the Trust's list of beneficiaries - only to be allegedly told that they never received the "aid for the handicapped" that was promised.
As the irregularities came to fore, the EOW started probe into it and the report distribution report verified by Louise was allegedly found to be fake.
In June 2017, EOW inspector Ram Shankar Yadav registered an FIR against Lousie Khurshid the Trust secretary Athar Farooqui. Louise Khursheed moved Allahabad High Court for anticipatory bail but was directed to Etah district court to appeal.
Etah court posted the matter for next hearing on Thursday, October 3.