Activist Teesta Setalvad’s NGO will need MHA nod for foreign funds

The CJP is alleged to have violated various provisions of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA).

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According to the MHA, although the CJP was registered for “educational and economic” purposes, it had received foreign contribution for activities such as “legal aid” that falls under the “social” purpose. This constituted a violation of FCRA rules, said the MHA.

The CJP, which has been fighting cases for victims of the 2002 Gujarat riots, and Sabarang Trust, run by Setalvad and her husband Javed Anand, were issued notices by the MHA about two months ago. According to the MHA, inspection of records and books of accounts of the two NGOs allegedly revealed “irregularities and financial misappropriation”.

In their replies, the two NGOs said they were not guilty of any financial irregularities and that no foreign contribution was misused by any office bearer. The MHA had inspected the accounts of the two NGOs in April following a request from the Gujarat government.