Environics Trust's Foreign Contribution Registration Act licence suspended

The Centre has suspended Foreign Contribution Registration Act licence of non-governmental organisation Environics Trust for six months, citing alleged violations of rules, said officials.

The NGO has been associated with lawyer Ritwick Dutta and his organisation, Legal Initiative for Forest and Environment (LIFE), in co-hosting The Access Initiative, a global network that promotes access to information, participation and justice in environmental decision-making in India.

Dutta and LIFE are facing a probe by CBI for alleged FCRA violations. The registration of LIFE was cancelled when the Union home ministry ordered a CBI probe against Dutta in April.


Trust's chief functionary R Sreedhar told ET that the NGO's FCRA certificate has been suspended for 180 days and that it has obtained a stay from the Delhi High Court. "The order did not state any specific reason but that we undertook some 'undesirable' activities and there were wrong filings (of returns)," he said in an email response.

Regarding Environics Trust's association with Dutta, Sreedhar said, "MHA has not cited any association with LIFE in its order. The income tax enquiry which was simultaneously conducted on both organisations has enquired about our association with LIFE and the cases. The appearance of lawyers associated with LIFE in our cases has been on a pro bono basis."

As per Environics Trust's FCRA filing in January-March, the NGO received foreign grants from UK's Publish What You Pay, Action Aid Australia, Freedom House and Global Green Grants Fund from the US and Hong Kong-headquartered Asia Monitor Resource Centre, among others.