Delhi High Court has allowed Greenpeace India to use and operate 2 of the domestic account and receive fresh domestic donations. Justice Rajiv Shakdher has permitted Greenpeace an NGO to make use of its FD’s and get fresh donations which should be used according to the law. The unused fund can be made use by it with the approval of the government. For alleged violation of FCRA, the NGO’s 7 accounts were frozen by the home ministry on April 9 which the new order allowed them to liquidate the FDs. Earlier government had cancelled the registration of FCRA as they had violated the norms and had opened 5 accounts to use foreign donations without informing the authorities. Ministry of Home Affairs has told that Greenpeace had violated FCRA when they merged the domestic contributions with foreign donations. Court further asked the banks why they had denied the access to the NGO even after its previous order in January was made and asked the bank to follow the court’s order. MHA had defended by saying that the NGO was not using these donations that they received for proper purpose.
This order was made when Greenpeace had put a writ petition asking for immediate unblocking their bank accounts that they had. The plea was heard by the court to de-freeze Greenpeace national bank and international bank accounts which was blocked when the home ministry had directed the banks. The petition that was put before the court by Greenpeace had said in it that the freezing of accounts and suspension of licence by the bank was unconstitutional and illegal act of it. Greenpeace had taken this action against PM Modi’s government when bureaucrats had found wrongs in the balance sheet of it and thus it suspended the transactions. Samit Aich had told that the government had made it difficult to operate but their employees were ready to work for the NGO for a month. The government had also said that there was nearly 60 million rupees in the Greenpeace accounts which was foreign funded and were not accounted. Ford Foundation which is a private US Foundation that gives grant to Indian NGO’s has been put by the government on a watch list.
by Sushma Javare.