“This government has systematically gone after people who believe in the Indian constitution”

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), on Tuesday, June 18, registered a criminal case against the Delhi-based NGO, Lawyers’ Collective, for alleged violations of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) rules. The FIR has named senior advocate Anand Grover and unidentified office bearers and functionaries of the organisation.

The FIR was filed on the basis of a complaint from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), which alleged several discrepancies in the utilisation of foreign aid received by the NGO. Though the investigative agency did not name Grover’s wife and former additional solicitor general Indira Jaising in the FIR, the MHA’s complaint mentions allegations against her. The ministry claims that Jaising, as the ASG from 2009 to 2014, received remunerations from the foreign contributions received by Lawyers Collective.

Last week, several artists, writers, academics, lawyers and journalists across India came together to show their support for NGO Lawyers Collective. In a statement titled “Standing up for those who stood with us,” the signatories, which included names like Theatre maker, Anuradha Kapur, advocate Karuna Nundy, and filmmaker Anand Patwardhan among others, called upon the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the home ministry to “desist from the unjustified and vindictive use of criminal law” against its founders Indira Jaising and Anand Grover.

In this video, advocate Warisha Farasat, speaks on about the contributions made by Anand Grover and Indira Jaising and calls the charges a clear case of Vendetta by the Modi government.