Photo: PTI

CONTINUING SAGA: Marathon runner Budhia with his mother and coach Biranchi Das after the release of his audio CD "Mu Bhudhia Oriya Pua" in Bhubaneshwar on Monday.

BHUBANESWAR: The High Court on Tuesday issued show-cause notices to the Orissa Government and the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) of Khurda district in connection with the ban imposed on child marathoner Budhia Singh to undertake long-distance walk.

Hearing a revision petition, vacation judge Justice A. S. Naidu directed government counsel to take the instruction to the State Government and notice to CWC should be delivered through special messenger.

The High Court fixed June 21 as next date of hearing. Bibhu Prasad Tripathy, counsel for Budhia Singh, contended that CWC, a quasi-judicial body, had exceeded its jurisdiction by passing ban order.

"Before imposing such a ban, the child should have been produced before the CWC but that had not happened in this case. CWC cannot come up with such ban order as no case was registered under Section 23 of Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act against either Budhia or anybody," Mr. Tripathy said.

The petition was filed after Budhia was prevented from undertaking a walkathon from Bhubaneswar to Kolkata on June 6.

On Monday, the CWC had issued a notice to Biranchi, who claimed to be foster father of Budhia Singh, to be present before the committee before June 29 it with the details of deposits, details of sponsored events, including details of the sponsors and the amounts spent and statements of transactions of the bank accounts from October 2005 till date.

The CWC said Dubai-based Kohiji Trust had given him Rs 9 lakhs in December last year towards the first instalment of the promised Rs 19 lakhs, which was rightful due of Budhia and that Mr. Das had no right on that money as he was only a trustee of the funds.

"Refusal to return the said funds to the said child and/or diversion of such funds for other purposes would amount to misappropriation of the funds of the child and exploitation of the child for personal gain," the notice said.

It further read, "to ensure deposits of such funds in favour of the child, it is necessary for the committee to know details of the funds received on behalf of and in the name of the child (Budhia), details of sponsors for the child and details of deposits already made in his favour, if any, out of the said funds."

Reacting to CWC's notice, Mr. Das said, "I have not got a single penny from Kohiji trust.

An email from Kohiji Group has reached recently which states they will be releasing the promised money very soon.

This indicates that CWC is acting vindictively."

Meanwhile, a video album featuring marathon prodigy Budhia Singh was inaugurated here on Monday.

The album, Mu Budhia Oriya Pua (I am Budhia, a son of Orissa), was second of its kind after first album on the child was released last year.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail