FCRA licence of Indira Jaising’s NGO suspended for 6 months

Noted lawyer Indira Jaising’s NGO ‘Lawyers’ Collective’ was on Wednesday barred from receiving funds from abroad as its licence was suspended for six months for alleged violation of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA). The Home Ministry, while suspending the licence, asked the NGO to submit its reply within 30 days for violation of various provisions of FCRA after which its registration may even be cancelled.

Lawyers’ Collective has allegedly received foreign contribution between 2006-07 and 2013-14 and the Ministry found alleged discrepancy in the filing of annual returns of the NGO, where Jaising, who had served as the Additional Solicitor General in the UPA government, was functioning as secretary. 

The Ministry, while rejecting the reply of the NGO, said that the records made available by it were examined in detail and “it was found that the same were not satisfactory” and it did not provide adequate explanation vis-a-vis the violations found and pointed out”.

The notice sent to the NGO said that during the course of adjudication whereby defence, explanations, documents were submitted by the NGO, “we have arrived at a prima facie conclusion” that the Association was in violation of various provisions of FCRA.