FCRA violation case: CBI files chargesheet against environmental lawyer Ritwick Dutta, LIFE

New Delhi: The CBI has filed a chargesheet against eminent environmental lawyer Ritwick Dutta and his organisation Legal Initiative for Forest and Environment (LIFE) for alleged violation of rules pertaining to foreign funds, officials said Tuesday. In its chargesheet filed before a special court here, the CBI has named Dutta, environment advocacy group LIFE, one Rahul Choudhary and others as accused under 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of Indian Penal Code besides violations of various provisions of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), they said.

The special court is yet to take cognisance of the chargesheet, the officials added. Dutta and LIFE did not comment on queries sent seeking their reaction. The CBI had registered the case in April, 2023 on a complaint from the Union Home Ministry alleging that Dutta's organisation, LIFE, was receiving funds from US-based Earth Justice (EJ) to litigate against Indian coal projects with the intention of "targeting and stalling them", a practice that the ministry deemed a "violation of FCRA". Dutta is the winner of many reputed awards including Sweden's alternative to the Nobel Prize called the Right Livelihood Award for 2021 for its effort to protect the environment in India through the use of the law. The home ministry's complaint, which is now part of the FIR, alleged that LIFE had received money from EJ, disguised as "professional receipts", which were actually intended to fund targeting and stalling of development projects. The complaint also said that Dutta's advocacy group LIFE was not providing legal advice to EJ for financial consideration but allegedly receiving foreign funds to stall development projects. The CBI FIR alleged that Dutta had received Rs 41 lakh in foreign contributions in the financial year 2013-14 from EJ, and had subsequently established LIFE proprietorship, which had received Rs 22 crore during 2016-21 in the form of professional receipts.