The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear a petition on January 24 that challeged the decision of Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to cancel and not renew the registration of around 6,000 NGOs under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), 1976.
The petition contended that the cancellation of FCRA licence will affect the relief efforts being done for those affected by Novel Coronavirus.
It said during the second wave of Covid-19, several NGOs and industry bodies had sought exemption under FCRA, which was provided by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), in exercise of powers conferred
under Article 50.
The same situation existed today, noted the plea, adding that in such a situation, there was a lack of discretion on part of the government over not renewing the licence.
About 6,000 NGOs have filed a petition in the Supreme Court regarding non-renewal of FCRA licence by the Global Peace Initiative, the petitioners noted.
The plea further sought quashing of the December 31, 2021 MHA order, which said that the NGOs, whose application for renewal of licence of FCRA has been rejected, will not be able to take money from abroad.
Apart from this, the petition also sought a direction to the Supreme Court to maintain the licence of organisations to receive funds from abroad till the time of Coronavirus pandemic.