Oxfam India’s FCRA license was suspended in January last year.
New Delhi:
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a case against Oxfam India and its officials for allegedly violating the provisions of India’s rules on foreign financing and is conducting searches of the non-governmental organisation’s offices, officials said on Wednesday.
According to the complaint filed with the agency by the Ministry of Home Affairs, between 2013 and 2016 Oxfam India received approximately Rs 1.5 crore directly into its Foreign Contribution Utilization account instead of the designated bank account. The complaint also alleged that Oxfam India sent Rs 12.71 lakh to the Center for Policy Research (CPR) in FY 2019-20 in violation of the rules of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), 2010.
The CBI said it followed up on a complaint from the Home Office, which suspended Oxfam India’s FCRA license in January last year.
The complaint also stated that Oxfam India planned to circumvent the FCRA by transferring funds to other for-profit associations or consultancies. The CBI said it seized several emails from Oxfam India’s office during a search last year.
Oxfam India is part of the global confederation Oxfam, which works on issues such as poverty, inequality, gender justice and climate change. The non-governmental organization denies all allegations and says it is cooperating with the authorities.
“Oxfam India is cooperating with all government agencies since FCRA registration was not renewed in December 2021. We have filed a plea in Delhi High Court against the decision not to renew our FCRA registration. The Supreme Court has asked the Union government to respond to our plea,” it said in a statement earlier this month.
The CBI case against Oxfam India comes at a time when several civil society organizations have faced government scrutiny and action for their foreign funding and activities. The government has said it is cracking down on those misusing foreign funds or breaking the law, while the opposition has alleged intimidation and clamping down on dissent.
