Two days after the Enforcement Directorate accused Satat Sampada Private Limited of misusing foreign funds to influence government policies and undermine India’s energy security, its director and climate activist Harjeet Singh has denied all the allegations against him and his outfit.
Singh was arrested and later granted bail in an excise case on Tuesday after the ED claimed to have found “excess liquor” at his home in Ghaziabad during searches. The arrest came a day after ED searched “various” locations in Delhi-NCR linked to the Ghaziabad-based company. The agency alleged that the company had received Rs 6 crore in foreign funds from international NGOs such as Climate Action Network and STAND.EARTH since 2021. It also claimed the funds “were actually intended to promote the agenda of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty within India”.
However, speaking to Newslaundry on Wednesday, Singh said he has consistently praised India’s renewable energy efforts and argued for greater support for developing countries from the developed world to tackle climate change.
Later in a press release, Singh termed ED’s allegations “baseless, biased and misleading”.
“I have been on record saying that India's renewable energy journey is exceptional and India should be applauded for the efforts it has made with very little international finance,” he told Newslaundry.
At global platforms such as the Conference of Parties (COP), Singh has been a leading voice from the Global South, urging developed countries to do more to support developing nations in transitioning to clean, green energy.
A climate activist for over 25 years, he rejected the ED’s allegation that he influenced government decision-making. “I have never worked with the government,” he said, adding that the government had failed to understand civil society’s position on climate change.
The ED alleged that the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty could expose India to legal challenges in international forums such as the International Court of Justice and severely compromise the country’s energy security and economic development. FF-NPT is a proposed international treaty to phase out fossil fuels.
“It (FF-NPT) is just a process where we are saying that developed countries have to do more and there should be a global treaty complementing the Paris Agreement to help developing countries make that transition so that they don’t face undue pressure, both in terms of resources or timeline to make that transition,” Singh said. He is a strategic advisor to the FF-NPT initiative.
He described the government’s stance as a failure to understand civil society. “Unfortunately, the Indian government is unable to understand the viewpoint of civil society and activists like us, who are actually in line with what the government is saying,” said Singh.
In its press statement, the ED also said Singh’s recent visits to Pakistan in February 2025 and Bangladesh in December 2025 were under scrutiny. In Pakistan, Singh attended a conference on air pollution, while in Bangladesh, he delivered a speech at a university on climate justice.
Singh suggested that his visit to Bangladesh may have triggered the ED action. He said he had shared with ED all his statements made during the conferences he attended in both countries. “Whenever I go out, I act as an ambassador of India, as a good citizen of India, saying how the country is doing well,” he said.
Singh and his wife, Jyoti Awasthi, run SSPL and the NGO Satat Sampada Climate Foundation. The foundation does not have a Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) licence, which is required for not-for-profit organisations to receive foreign funds.
Singh has also recently criticised a Supreme Court judgment that accepted a 100-metre definition for the Aravallis and has called for stronger measures to tackle air pollution.
“There are areas where we need to improve, and every citizen is talking about it. I have also issued statements on the Aravalli issue and on pollution, including what needs to be done. I have given numerous interviews saying that India needs to invest more in adaptation to keep its people safe. And there is nothing wrong in saying this as we are living in a democracy,” he said.
The ED has further alleged that SSPL was being used as a front for activism.
“SSPL projects itself as an agro-based company engaged in promoting organic farming and marketing organic produce. ED’s investigation, however, suggests this is a front activity. The company’s primary activity appears to be channelling foreign funds to run narratives furthering the FF-NPT cause in India, on behalf of foreign influencer groups,” the agency said in its statement. It also alleged that SSPL showed foreign funds as revenue from “consultancy services” and “agro product sales”.
Singh rejected these allegations, saying SSPL has remained aligned with its stated business objectives since its inception in 2016. He said the company provides consultancy services and is involved in organic farming, adding that he began consultancy work in 2021.
“We are providing consultancy services just like any other firm. So why pin down my organisation and me when I'm doing similar work that other organisations are doing?” he said.
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