Jammu, February 18 Authorities in the Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir issued an order on Wednesday regulating the collection of donations during the holy month of Ramadan, citing concerns over unauthorized fundraising activities.
Kishtwar District Magistrate Pankaj Kumar Sharma said it is the administration's statutory obligation to ensure that public contributions intended for relief, welfare, or religious purposes are not misappropriated, laundered, or diverted for extraneous or subversive activities.
There has been a tendency of unauthorized collection of donations by certain individuals and organizations during Ramadan, necessitating immediate regulatory intervention, Sharma said in the order.
"While the tradition of Zakat and Sadaqah (charitable giving) is an integral and sacred facet of the religious and social fabric during Ramadan, any act of artifice, misrepresentation, or fraudulent solicitation of funds not only desecrates the sanctity of the Holy Month but also exploits the altruism of the public," the DM said.
He said regulatory oversight is essential to safeguard transparency and maintain public trust.
Invoking powers under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, the DM laid down specific guidelines for compliance.
According to the order, no individual, NGO, trust, society, or committee shall undertake donation collection within the territorial jurisdiction of the Kishtwar district without valid registration under relevant laws and prior intimation to the executive officer, Waqf board unit Kishtwar, or the president, Majlis Shura Committee Kishtwar, wherever applicable.
All fundraising entities have been directed to maintain proper records of collections and expenditures. Any solicitor found without authenticated copies of registration and authorization documents shall be treated as unauthorized, it said.
The order strictly prohibits coercive tactics, harassment of commuters, or obstruction of public pathways for donation collection.
Sub-registrars have been asked to publish within five days a list of registered charitable trusts operating in the district to guide the general public.
A dedicated vigilance helpline has been activated for reporting instances of fraudulent solicitation or harassment.
The senior superintendent of police, along with sub-divisional magistrates and tehsildars, has been directed to ensure strict enforcement of the order in letter and spirit.
The directive has come into immediate effect and shall remain operative throughout the holy month of Ramadan, the order said, adding any violation shall invite action under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and other applicable laws.