The Kerala High Court has set aside a Union government order that refused to renew the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) registration for two non-profit organisations, Kerala Social Service Forum and Save a Family Plan India. The court ruled that the government's 'distaste for protests or dissents' could not be grounds for holding that constitutionally protected right to protest was against 'public interest'.
On Tuesday, the Kerala High Court overturned a Union government order that refused to renew the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) registration for two non-profit organisations, Kerala Social Service Forum and Save a Family Plan India. The decision was made after the court ruled that the government's 'distaste for protests or dissents' could not be grounds for holding that constitutionally protected right to protest was against 'public interest'.
The two NGOs had been registered to receive foreign funds since 1985, but the Union government refused to renew their registrations after 2021. The government claimed that the organisations had diverted their funds to provide financial support to protesters against the Vizhinjam project led by billionaire Gautam Adani's ports business.
In November 2022, a group of fisherfolk staged protests against the Rs 7,500-crore project. They alleged that the project would cause coastal erosion and damage their livelihoods, leading to violent clashes on November 26, 2022.
The court also said that the government had not provided reasons for rejecting the organisations' application to renew their FCRA registration. This was 'essential' in a democratic country, it added.
The project, led by Adani Group, had been suspended for four months due to protests before resuming on the directions of the Kerala High Court.
Source:
Scroll.in
