The Central Bureau of Investigation has booked Tamil Nadu-based Caruna Bal Vikas (CBV), Adhane Management Consultants, Bentinck Higher Secondary School and others for alleged violations of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA).
The case was registered on a complaint from the Home Ministry’s FCRA wing, which alleges that CBV, an NGO, used a part of the foreign receipts for religious activities. It had received funds from Compassion International-USA during the check period.
“Further, CBV has, inter alia, declared its long-term objective of “converting poor children into fulfilled Christian adults”, and thus engaged in religious activities, including conversions to Christianity. Such activities have potential to disturb communal harmony and, therefore, are in violation of the Section 12(4)(f)(vi) of the FCRA, 2010,” the FIR alleges.
As per the I-T Department report, the FIR mentions, CBV used only 10% of foreign contributions for the stated purposes, and diverted the remaining to 300 NGOs in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and other States. Some NGOs were not FCRA registered.
CBV allegedly transferred about ₹1 crore to non-FCRA registered Bentinck High Secondary School in 2011-14.
The I-T Department report “also mentions diversion of funds for conversion activities to NGOs owing allegiance to the Methodist Church, Baptist Church, Salvation Army, Christian Missionary Society and Indian Pentecostal Church, which is in violation of its charter of service to children”.
After CBV came under the Income-Tax Department’s scanner in 2013, it is alleged that Adhane Management Consultants was set up in July 2014 “to mislead the authorities”. The CEO of CBV and the company and their directors were the same. The two entities shared the same registered address in Chennai’s Anna Nagar East.
After the company was registered, the funding from Compassion International-USA, which was earlier channelled through CBV, was shifted almost entirely to it.
CBV received ₹6.75 crore in 2014-15, as against ₹109.50 crore in 2011-12, ₹130.52 crore in 2012-13 and ₹111.71 crore in 2013-14. The company got ₹6.75 crore in foreign contribution from Compassion International-USA allegedly without prior permission.
