‘Weaponising FCRA’: Centre for Financial Accountability’s Joe Athialy on licence withdrawal, govt

The cancellation of the FCRA licence “has nothing to do with technicalities. It [the government] is weaponising FCRA and using it as a political tool against organisations that are critical of the government,” said Joe Athialy, executive director of the Centre for Financial Accountability. Last week, the FCRA licence of the CFA’s parent entity, India Institute for Critical Action Centre, was cancelled citing “errors” in tax filings.

In a conversation with Newslaundry, Athialy alleged that the government has “double standards” for civil society groups and India Inc. “Consider that a company had some erroneous filings. This doesn’t mean that tomorrow the company will shut down.”

On the impact of the cancellation, Athialy said the organisation’s funds have dried up and it doesn’t have money to pay salaries or rent, as 80 percent of its funding comes from foreign avenues. He said that the 2020 amendments to the FCRA were brought in to undermine civil society groups’ independence. 

In the past, the CFA has alleged that Adani Group’s project in Gujarat’s Kutch has led to “environmental hazards”. The think tank regularly publishes reports assessing government policies.

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