FCRA case: CBI to question NGOs

The Central Bureau of Investigation is expected to question representatives of NGOs whose names have cropped up during its probe against a Home Ministry official Anand Joshi who was allegedly issuing notices of foreign remittances violations to voluntary groups in an arbitrary manner.

CBI sources said the agency on Tuesday visited the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act wing of the home ministry to look for records related to the case which will be taken over by the agency.

The agency has alleged that the files of organisations like Care India, Snehalya Charitable Trust, Indian HIV/AIDS Alliance and All India Primary Teachers Federation were recovered from him.

The sources said role of other officials of home ministry is also under scanner but any action will depend on questioning of Joshi, an Under Secretary, and scrutiny of records.

The CBI claims that the representatives of some of these organisations were called and Joshi demanded and obtained illegal gratification.

The sources said Joshi would be confronted with the records seized by the agency from the home ministry.

Joshi, who had disappeared on the morning of May 11 from his home in Indirapuram in Ghaziabad, was picked up from Tilak Nagar area of West Delhi on Sunday and taken to the CBI headquarters for questioning.

He was arrested after he allegedly gave unconvincing answers to the questions posed by a team of special crime division of the CBI, including those related to disappearance of files related to Sabrang Trust of activist Teesta Setalvad.

A case has been registered against Joshi and some other unnamed persons for allegedly indulging in corrupt practices and arbitrarily issuing notices to several NGOs, registered under Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, which were receiving foreign contributions.