The Supreme Court agreed to hear a case on Thursday seeking the quashing of the Centre’s orders refusing to renew or revoke FCRA registration of various NGOs who failed to justify their donations. Kilari Anand Paul, an Indian Evangelist based in the United States, has made the appeal.
The case filed by US-based NGO Global Peace Initiative, headed by Kilari Anand Paul, is scheduled for hearing on January 24 by a bench consisting of Justices AM Khanwilkar and Dinesh Maheshwari.
The plea asks the Supreme Court to urge the Central government to exempt ‘humanitarian’ organisations from the purview of FCRA.
Kilari Anand Paul’s NGO argued before the Supreme Court that NGOs played a critical role in reaching out to people and assisting the country during the Covid pandemic and that suspending the licenses of nearly 6000 NGOs at this time would thwart relief efforts and result in the neglect of aid to poor and needy.
“List this matter on January 24 2022, before the appropriate Bench. As prayed, liberty is granted to serve advance copy of petition on the Standing Counsel for the Central Agency,” according to reports, the bench remarked.
Advocates Sanjay Hegde and Pranjal Kishore are representing Killari Anand Paul.
Who is Kilari Anand Paul?
Kilari Anand Paul is an Indian evangelist and the founder of the Global Peace Initiative and Gospel to the Unreached Millions, both based in the United States. He has also run orphanages, notably Charity City in Hyderabad.
The Global Peace Initiative claims to be working for a more sustainable and peaceful world, whereas Gospel to the Unreached Millions claims to be preaching the gospel of Jesus around the world, assisting orphans and widows, training youth to be Christ, and peace missionaries, and instituting missions around the world. Preaching the gospel and the message of peace through peace rallies, schools, training centers, and weekly television, especially in developing nations, is the stated goal of the Gospel to the Unreached Millions.
There were cases filed against Gospel to the Unreached Millions for misappropriation of donations back in 2010-2012. Anand, Kilari Paul was also detained in May 2012 in Ongole, Prakasam district, on charges of planning to murder a person. According to reports, Paul planned to kill one Koteswara Rao, who was a suspect in the February 2010 murder of Paul’s brother David Raju in Mahbubnagar’s Addakula district. Paul was charged with criminal conspiracy to abduct under articles 120B and 307 (Attempt to Murder) of the Indian Penal Code.
Cancellation of FCRA Licences of NGOs
After failing to file for renewal of their Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) license, over 6,000 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) lost their license on January 1, 2022.
As of January 1, 2022, there were 16,829 active or living NGOs registered under the FCRA, down from 22,762 a day before. According to the official website, 12,580 NGOs are judged to have halted or expired due to the expiration of their certificate’s validity. The NGOs lost their FCRA registration because they neglected to file for renewal, according to a source quoted by Times of India’s Bharti Jain.
