Supreme Court to hear plea on FCRA licence renewal

New Delhi, January 20

An NGO has moved the Supreme Court challenging the Centre’s decision to refuse renewal of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) licences of around 6,000 NGOs, choking their funding.

The FCRA requires NGOs to get a licence from the Union Ministry of Home (MHA) authorising them to get foreign funds. Petitioner Global Peace Initiative has sought a direction to the MHA to exempt all NGOs from the purview of the FCRA during the pandemic. The NGO urged to quash the December 31, 2021, notice to the extent it turned down FCRA licence renewal applications of NGOs.

On Thursday, senior Advocate Sanjay Hedge mentioned the petition urging urgent listing before a Bench led by CJI NV Ramana which agreed to list it on January 24. —