The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raided the premises of Amnesty International in Bengaluru on Friday for alleged irregularities in foreign funding. India’s federal Home Ministry had revoked the watchdog’s license under the Foreign Currency Regulation Act in 2010.
In September, the federal economic intelligence agency, Enforcement Directorate had issued notices to Amnesty for alleged contraventions of the foreign exchange act. The organisation denied the charges.
Amnesty International has been critical of several policies of the Indian federal government over alleged human rights violations. Following New Delhi’s decision to strip the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, the non-profit body had alleged that the government detained activists and politicians, without any charge or trial.
“The detentions under this legislation over the last two months, including that of senior politicians and sitting members of the parliament without charge or trial that too when important decisions are being taken and implemented about their constituencies, puts India in complete violation of its international obligations", Amnesty’s Aakar Patel had said.
The federal Home Ministry has cancelled the licenses of about 1,300 volunteer organisations under the foreign funding regulations. This included Greenpeace India, the Ford Foundation, several evangelist associations, right-wing charitable organisations, and educational institutes. The action followed the failure of these organisations to file annual returns as mandated by law.