Mumbai, May 9 Alleging irregularities, a PIL in the Bombay High Court has demanded a probe by the Income Tax department or any other independent agency into the affairs of trusts run by crusader against corruption Anna Hazare. The PIL, filed by Pune-based social and RTI activist Hemant Patil on May 7, alleged irregularities in the working of various trusts, particularly Hind Swaraj Trust, in which Hazare is a trustee. Patil, who is the president of Rashtriya Brashtachar Virodhi Janshakti, has demanded a probe into the affairs of Hazare's trusts, preferably by the Income Tax department. Besides Hazare, other respondents in the PIL are Maharashtra Government, Mumbai Charity Commissioner, Joint/Deputy Charity Commissioner, Pune, Assistant Charity Commissioner, Ahmednagar, Hind Swaraj Trust, Pune, Sant Yadavbaba Sikshan Prasarak Mandal, Ahmednagar, Bhrashtrachar Virodi Janandolan, Ahmednagar, Swami Vivekananda Kratdanya, Ralegaon Siddhi and Income Tax commissioner. The PIL alleged, "it appears that Hind Swaraj Trust is not functioning in accordance with law... the trust and the trustees were involved in malpractices and siphoned away funds taken from individuals as donations and by misrepresenting them." The petitioner said that one of the trustees, Trimbak Shivram Bharde expired in 2007, however, the Charity Commissioner's office has not been informed. The PIL, which may come up for hearing after the summer vacations, also alleged that the Hind Swaraj Trust had taken a loan of Rs five lakh from Firodia Trust, however, till date, no explanation had been given. It said Hazare has declared in public that he did not have an account in any bank or did not hold any property, yet during his visits he (Hazare) stays in four and five star hotels and travels in BMW and other luxury cars.
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