Social activist Teesta Setalvad has requested the Ministry of Home Affairs for a “personal hearing” on the allegations levelled by the government against her NGO, the Sabrang Trust.
The trust’s license was suspended on September 9 last year and it was asked why its license under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) should not be cancelled for a series of violations. The violations, according to the MHA, included transfer of foreign funds to domestic accounts, attending a conference in Lahore and spending more than 50 per cent of its funds on administrative expenses.
Ms. Setalvad had pursued the Gujarat riots case of 2002 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the State’s Chief Minister. In an interview to The Hindu on July 25, 2015, Ms. Setalvad had said that she had become a “specific hate target.”
The license of the trust was suspended in September for 180 days. It was given time to reply and it is learnt that the trust replied in October. “We were not convinced with the reply,” said a senior government official. “We are examining the reply and will soon decide on cancelling the FCRA registration. Meanwhile, the trust has sought personal hearing now.” Ms. Setalvad refused to comment. But an official of the Trust confirmed that they had indeed sought a personal hearing. It is learnt that Ms. Setalvad will appear before the MHA on April 12.
The MHA took a series of actions against NGOs, including organisations associated with Ms Setalvad, based on a report sent by the Gujarat government soon after the NDA government came to power.In 2015, the MHA put yet another of Ms. Setalvad’s NGO — Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) — under the “prior permission category” for receiving foreign contributions.
The same year, the MHA ordered a CBI probe into alleged violation of FCRA norms by Sabrang Communications and Publishing Private Limited (SCPPL). The MHA alleged that SCPPL received $2.9 lakh in donations from the Ford Foundation without clearance from the MHA. The CBI registered a case and it is presently being heard in the Supreme Court.
