The authorities have also alleged that Greenpeace did not file annual returns for three financial years within the stipulated time of six months from the date of annual general body meeting
Two months after the Centre cancelled Greenpeace India's registration under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), Greenpeace India Society, the NGO's officially registered body, has been stripped of its registration by the office of registrar in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Greenpeace India Society was officially registered in Chennai back in 2002 and the NGO was received a notice from Chennai on Friday, informing them of the action taken against them.
Greenpeace has been directed to pass a special resolution and dissolve itself as per the rules of the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act. The NGO has termed action against them as 'demonstration of Ministry of Home Affairs' intolerance for dissent'.
The notice of the registrar office says that Greenpeace India's society registration was cancelled after the registrar office in Chennai found that the NGO's books did not reflect the foreign contributions it received, thus violating Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act. The office of registrar in Chennai had been inspecting the NGO's books for the past few months.
In the notice served to the NGO, the district registrar, Chennai has said, "This society has received crores of rupees from foreign countries. There is discrepancy in the account between the details of the foreign donation furnished by the society....submitted to the Registrar of Societies, which suggest fraudulent dealings."
The notice goes on to allege that the NGO is controlled by Stichting Greenpeace Council, Netherlands and is not independent, in contravention to law. Besides stressing on discrepancies in foreign donations, the authorities have also alleged that Greenpeace did not file annual returns for three financial years within the stipulated time of six months from the date of annual general body meeting.
Responding to the development, Vinuta Gopal, Interim Executive Director of the NGO, said, "The Registrar of Societies is clearly acting under directions from the Ministry of Home Affairs in Delhi, which has been trying to shut Greenpeace India down for over a year now. This order has been passed without granting Greenpeace a hearing, and without complying with the Madras High Court order to address each of our points and queries. This is a blatant attempt to circumvent the legal process and shows no respect for the law."
The NGO, which has got a stay order on cancellation of its FCRA registration, believes that they are on a strong legal ground with regards to the registrar's order and will reply to the notice soon. Greenpeace, which has run major campaigns on nuclear power, coal mining and forest conservation has faced a slew of actions against it ever since the Intelligence Bureau termed it as a threat to 'national economic security' in 2014.
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