The Delhi High Court has sought the response of the Union of India on a petition filed by the Centre for Policy Research (CPR) against the government cancelling it’s registration under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA).
The single-judge Bench of Justice Chandra Dhari Singh directed the Central government to file a short response on the appeal as well as the accompanying application within two weeks and listed the mater for further hearing on April 25.
The notice was accepted by Central Government Standing Counsel (CGSC) Mukul Singh, who appeared for the Union of India.
Currently headed by political scientist and former Principal of Lady Shri Ram College Meenakshi Gopinath, CPR is a think tank that has been involved in research with a focus on India’s 21st-century challenges since 1973.
It’s President and Chief Executive is Yamini Aiyar, while former foreign secretary Shyam Saran and Senior Advocate Shyam Divan are other members on its governing board.
The government had initially suspended the NGO’s FCRA license in February 2023, for a period of six months, which was later extended. The same was cancelled in January 2024. FCRA registration is mandatory for an organisation to receive foreign donations.
The tax exemption status of the think tank was also suspended earlier by the government. However, the Delhi High Court had stayed the income tax reassessment proceedings against the think tank.
The IT reassessment proceedings were started against CPR after the Income Tax department surveyed the think tank in September 2023. Its FCRA license was suspended and the NGO subsequently lost its tax exemption status as well.
The government authorities have alleged that CPR was involved in the Hasdeo movement against coal mining in the Chhattisgarh forests and that it used some of the funds received for filing litigation & complaints, rather than for research.
Refuting the allegations, the think tank claimed that it was paying the price for dissent.
Senior Advocate Arvind Datar along with Advocates Shashwat Goel, Palak Vashisth, Isha Ray and Gyanendra Singh appeared for CPR.