New Delhi: Market regulator SEBI has come under the scanner of Comptroller and Auditor General of India, as the apex auditor has charged the regulator with not following official guidelines to keep surplus funds earned by it with the government.

"Despite clear orders from the Government of India, Securities and Exchange Board of India continued to maintain its surplus funds generated through fees/charges, turnover fee and penalties etc aggregating to Rs 706.82 crore as at the end of March 2007 outside the Government Accounts," CAG said in its report released here today.

The practice of regulatory bodies like SEBI maintaining their accounts outside the government is not only violative of government instructions but also inconsistent with the constitutional provisions, said CAG, adding that it has been able to do so only due to the failure of Finance Ministry to enforce its instructions.

CAG also alleged that Finance Ministry's approach on the violation by SEBI was lackadaisical and it failed to make the market regulator comply with its orders.

Also pointing out that Finance Ministry did not exercise its powers, CAG said that even in the face of non-compliance of its orders and despite being convinced of the constitutional impropriety of the action by SEBI, the ministry did not issue an directions to it.

Source : PTI