The Patna High Court on Tuesday dismissed a PIL seeking a directive to the Nitish Kumar government to take back the Rs 5 crore Kosi flood relief returned to Gujarat Chief Minister, Mr Narendra Modi.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Rakha M. Doshit and Justice Jyoti Sharan rejected the PIL filed by advocate Sudhir Ojha saying that it was not maintainable.
Earlier, Additional Advocate General J.P. Karna stated that the PIL was politically-motivated as the decision to return the funds to Gujarat was a policy decision and therefore, the petition should be rejected.
Chief Minister, Mr Nitish Kumar (JDU) had snubbed his ally BJP after a full-page advertisement published in local Hindi dailies featuring him with Modi on June 12, 2010 — on the eve of BJP's national executive — highlighted Gujarat's generous help to Bihar after the 2008 Kosi floods.
Mr Kumar had subsequently returned the donation of Rs five crore that was received from Gujarat, saying, "It is against our culture and age-old tradition that a helping hand extended to people in crisis or in pain is not reminded of and propagated. It is uncivilised."