Amnesty India seeks time to furnish response to ED

The NGO was served notice for alleged violation of the Foreign Exchange Management Act.

A view of Amnesty Interanational India building in Indiranagar, Bangalore.

Amnesty International India Private Limited, to which the Enforcement Directorate had earlier served a show-cause notice for alleged violation of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) involving ₹51.72 crore, has sought more time to furnish its response.

“Accordingly, we have extended the deadline for sending the reply, which will be examined by the authority concerned before taking any further action. FEMA provides for a penalty of up to three times the amount involved in the violation,” said an official.

Export of services

The ED had earlier said that the alleged violation was covered under the Borrowing and Lending Regulations, for rendering civil society activities in India by getting remittances from parent body, Amnesty International-UK, in the garb of export of services.

The agency had carried out searches on the Bengaluru premises of the organisation last year as part of the probe. It was alleged that Amnesty India, for its NGO activities, had received funds from Amnesty International-UK through commercial channels.

No further approval

The Amnesty International India Foundation Trust was given permission under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) for receiving ₹1.69 crore from Amnesty International-UK in 2011-12. However, it was denied further approval.

It is alleged that after that, another route was devised to receive funds via Amnesty International India Private Limited.

Based on a complaint from the Union Home Ministry, the Central Bureau of Investigation recently registered an FIR against the company and others for alleged violation of the FCRA.