Bidyanondo Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Bangladesh, has received a legal notice addressed to its founder, Kishore Kumar Das, demanding a detailed account of how it spent a donation made by a woman.
Supreme Court lawyer Md Haider Tanviruzzaman said on Wednesday that the notice was issued on Tuesday on behalf of Sabiha Rahman Nitu, who had donated to the charitable organization.
The notice stated: "You, the recipient of the notice (Kishore Kumar Das), are the chairman of Bidyanondo Foundation, a renowned non-profit organization in Bangladesh. The organization has been carrying out various social welfare activities for a long time. You publish pictures and videos of various social activities of the organization through various social media outlets, prompting ordinary people to donate to your organization at different times."
The notice also states that Sabiha Rahman Nitu contributed a total of Tk40,500 to the foundation's account. This sum included a transfer of Tk38,000 from her husband's Brac bank account to the foundation's account on March 20, 2022. She also donated Tk2,500 from her Bkash account on July 7 and August 11 of 2020, and May 5, 2021.
Recently, there have been various allegations against Bidyanondo Foundation in different newspapers and on social media. These allegations include various irregularities and claims of improper use of funds. However, no explanation has been given by the institution regarding these claims, the notice adds.
"The audit report of your institution clearly mentions all the expenditure categories of the foundation. However, even after checking your audit report, my client (Sabiha Rahman Nitu) did not find any information about her donated money or how it had been spent. Despite repeatedly asking your institution, no satisfactory answer has been received.”
"As the claimant (Sabiha Rahman Nitu) has not received any accurate information about her donation from your organization, you are hereby directed to provide a proper explanation of how all her donated money has been spent within 30 days of receiving this legal notice. Failure to do so will result in legal action against your institution as per the laws of the country."