New Delhi: The Delhi High Court today (Mar 3, 2004) asked the Centre to furnish details of the funds spent on the controversial 'India Shining' campaign.

A division bench of Chief Justice B C Patel and Justice B D Ahmed, which is hearing two PILs (Public Interest Litigations) on the issue, however, refused to issue a notice to the Government, saying, "Let us first know the figures".

The Court took note of the fact that the Election Commission has already banned the India Shining and Bharat Uday ad campaigns.

The PILs, which first came up for hearing last Wednesday (Feb 25, 2004) , were filed by Unemployed Youth Unity Movement and Advocate Chanchal Thakur, who alleged that the campaign was being "used" by the ruling party to project its image ahead of elections.

The petitioners sought a ban on it and a direction to the Centre to submit a "full and proper" statement of accounts of the funds spent on it.

They also requested the Court to issue notices to the Centre, Prime Minister, Finance Minister, Planning Commission, Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity, Election Commission and Comptroller and Auditor General.

However, in the first hearing, without issuing any notices to respondents, the Court had asked the Election Commission to place the relevant material before it and posted the matter for hearing on March 3, 2004.

During arguments on the PILs last Wednesday, Centre's counsel Sanjay Jain had asserted that the Government was within its rights to inform people about its achievements.

He pointed out that it has been a common practice in the country and many Governments in the past had done it.