Teesta Setalvad's NGO lobbied with political parties, says MHA
Teesta Setalvad has been accused of violating the FCRA rules for allegedly accepting unapproved donations from the American company Ford Foundation to her NGO Sabrang Communication and Publishing Private Limited.
Cracking the whip on social activist Teesta Setalvad's NGO Sabrang Communication and Publishing Private Limited (SCPPL), the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has ordered seizure of SCPPL's bank accounts and ordered a CBI probe into transfer of funds to the NGO by US-based Ford Foundation.
The organisation is barred from any further credit and withdrawal of foreign contribution without the permission of the MHA. Initiating the action, the MHA in its report, after doing an inspection of the NGO has stated that the NGO, as part of its public campaign, had lobbied with the government in the public sphere to deepen and broaden the concept of minorities. "It is stated that lobbying with political parties is not allowed as per provisions of the Foreign Contributions Regulation Act (FCRA)," the order stated.
According to the MHA, the SCPPL has reportedly violated rules of the FCRA. It is alleged that the NGO accepted a donation of 2.9 lakh dollars from Ford Foundation without getting clearance of the Union home ministry. The order lists seven violations of the FCRA based on which the action has been initiated. A bank account of the firm located in Juhu, Mumbai, has been seized at the instruction of the MHA.