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1h ago

MHA Cancels SECMOL’s FCRA Registration After Findings of Breaches, Including ‘Sovereignty’ Funding

The order takes immediate effect after a show-cause process, with Sonam Wangchuk calling the action a witch hunt.

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Environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk.
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Overview

  • The Home Ministry’s order cites multiple violations: accepting Rs 4.93 lakh from a Sweden-based donor for an educational programme that included study of national sovereignty, which the ministry said contravenes the law.
  • Officials flagged a Rs 3.5 lakh entry tied to the sale of an old bus, saying it appeared as a cash receipt not reflected in the designated account and was inconsistently reported; Wangchuk says it related to replacing a bus he gifted.
  • Further compliance lapses include local funds of Rs 54,600 credited to the FCRA account, Rs 79,200 in foreign receipts not routed to the FCRA account, and a Rs 19,600 refund to a donor despite no provision to return foreign contributions.
  • SECMOL received a show-cause notice on 20 August, a reminder on 10 September, and replied on 19 September before the licence was cancelled under Section 14, stopping the NGO from receiving or using foreign contributions.
  • CBI inquiries involve SECMOL and HIAL and Income Tax scrutiny has been noted, while the government links the move to unrest in Leh that caused deaths and injuries; Wangchuk denies wrongdoing and says some foreign receipts were fee-for-service knowledge sharing.