On Thursday (26th September), controversial ‘activist’ Harsh Mander took to X (formerly Twitter) to inform that his organisation ‘Aman Biradari’ has been barred from accepting donations.
In a tweet, he lamented, “Aman Biradari can no longer get donations. After ED, CBI, EOW, & FCRA, IT cancelled our 12A, meaning no one can now donate to our work.”
For the unversed, 12A refers to the provision of the Income Tax Act (ITA) which grants tax exemption status to religious institutions, charitable trusts, welfare societies and NGOs.
Aman Biradari can no longer get donations
— Harsh Mander (@harsh_mander) September 26, 2024
After ED CBI EOW & FCRA, IT cancelled our 12A, meaning no one can now donate for our work
Our work with lynching & Delhi riot families was supported by many individual donations
But we're determined to continue our work for love & justice
Harsh Mander claimed that his work, which was allegedly supported by individual donors, would be affected after the Income Tax Department revoked the 12A exemption granted to his organisation.
“Our work with lynching & Delhi riot families was supported by many individual donations But we’re determined to continue our work for love & justice,” his tweet read.
In March 2023, the Ministry of Home Affairs recommended a CBI inquiry into his alleged NGO for violating the Foreign Contributions (Regulation) Act.
Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has recommended CBI inquiry against IAS-turned-social activist Harsh Mander’s Aman Biradari NGO for alleged FCRA violations: Govt Sources pic.twitter.com/ca9a8GyVzo
— ANI (@ANI) March 20, 2023
‘Aman Biradari’ claims to be a ‘grassroots movement’ dedicated to creating a secular, peaceful, just, and compassionate world.
Its alleged goal includes establishing community-based organizations at the village and district levels, primarily consisting of young people and women from various backgrounds and faiths.
The outfit, run by Harsh Mander, claims to foster greater tolerance, fraternity, respect, and peaceful coexistence between individuals of different religions, castes, and linguistic groups.
Harsh Mander and his controversies
Harsh Mander had worked in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) for almost two decades and quit the services ‘in protest’ against the ‘state-sponsored riots’ in Gujarat in 2002.
Since he left the IAS, Harsh Mander has spent quite a colourful life in ‘civil society’ organizations. Among his many contributions, he has worked as the country director of ActionAid India.
However, he is most famous for his service in Sonia Gandhi’s National Advisory Council (NAC) which drafted the anti-Hindu Communal Violence Bill. Mander has a chequered history of bringing disrepute to the judiciary and inciting Muslim mobs against the Indian state.
In March 2020, he incited Muslim mobs against the Indian State and judiciary. Mander had said that decisions about matters of the state shall not be delivered by the Supreme Court or the Parliament but will be made in the streets.
Following the incident, the Delhi Police had filed an affidavit against Harsh Mander in the Supreme Court accusing him not only of inciting violence but also of bringing disrepute to the Judiciary and had sought contempt of court proceedings against him.
Mander is also known for being an apologist of Ishrat Jahan, the female LeT terrorist who was killed in an encounter along with three others by Crime Branch Officials in Gujarat.
He was also one of the individuals who had signed mercy petitions for the terrorists Yakub Memon, Ajmal Kasab and Afzal Guru.
In 2019, Harsh Mander filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking the recusal of then Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi from hearing a case relating to the condition of detention camps and deportation of illegal immigrants from Assam.
