Illegal FCRA registration & renewal, fund transfer: CBI registers FIR against Home Ministry officials, NGOs for conspiracy

A Delhi Court on Wednesday remanded to custody several individuals, including officials of the Union Home Ministry and NGO representatives, who are being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for allegedly conspiring to illegally facilitate registration and renewal of licenses under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA)..Special Judge Naresh Kumar Laka remanded Home Ministry official Pramod Kumar Bhasin and several other accused in the case to police custody till May 14. The judge noted in the remand order that since the first information report (FIR) was registered only one day ago, there was no infirmity in the Investigating Officer not providing the case diary.Moreover, the Court observed that the offences alleged are serious in nature. "From the nature of the offences, it is observed that the allegations are serious involving conspiracy and involvement of huge number of persons and NGOs ot their representatives and the case is at its very initial stage" the order stated.With regard to an application filed on behalf of Bhasin, the Court permitted him to take two doses of the medication he requires. .The CBI had registered an FIR against government officials for "obtaining bribe from NGOs for facilitating them for registration and renewal of registration under FCRA and for other FCRA related works."."These NGOs get backdoor FCRA registration/renewal by such illegal means with an object to continue receiving donations despite not fulfilling the prescribed norms. They also generate fake invoices to justify their expenditure for the defined cause," the FIR further claimed..Among those named in the FIR is Pramod Kumar Bhasin, a Home Ministry official who was earlier working in the FCRA division. It was alleged that he was indulging in corrupt and illegal activities in criminal conspiracy with representatives of certain NGOs and some unknown FCRA officers. He was also allegedly misrepresenting himself as an FCRA official of New Delhi and habitually collected bribes from different NGOs through a hawala network..A number of representatives of NGOs from across the country, including the "promoters of Omidyar", have been named in the FIR..A case has been registered against the accused under Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 419 (punishment for cheating by personation), 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery) and 471 (using as genuine a forged document or electronic record) of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 7 (public servant taking gratification other than legal remuneration in respect of an official act), 7A (taking undue advantage to influence public servant by corrupt or illegal means) and 8 (taking gratification by corrupt or illegal means, to influence public servant) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988..[Read FIR].[Read Order]