CBI raids activist Harsh Mander’s office, home charging FCRA violation

New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation on Friday raided the office and residence of activist Harsh Mander claiming alleged violations of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, Scroll.in portal reported.

The central agency pinned on Harsh Mander, director of research and advocacy organisation Centre for Equity Studies, alongside questioning several persons in connection with the case.

Sleuths came to the office of Centre for Equity Studies in Delhi’s Adchini area, before heading to Mander’s home in Vasant Kunj.

Meanwhile, the Union home ministry had suspended the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act license of the organization for 180 days in June.  Curiously enough, the ministry had said Mander usually wrote columns for publications including The Indian Express, The Hindu, The Wire, The Hindustan Time, The Quint and Scroll.

Alongside the government accused Mander of accepting Rs 12,64,671 from 2011-’12 to 2017-’18 as foreign contributions being “professional receipts/ payments from the FCRA account of the association [Centre for Equity Studies]”. The home ministry termed it as violating the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act.

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