The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a First Information Report (FIR) against prominent environmental lawyer Ritwik Dutta for alleged violations of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA).
The FIR was registered in response to a complaint filed by the Union Home Ministry accusing Dutta's organization, Legal Initiative for Forest and Environment (LIFE), of receiving funds from Earth Justice (EJ), a US-based NGO, to litigate against Indian coal projects with the intention of "targeting and stalling them", a practice deemed a "violation of FCRA".
The complaint also alleged that Mr. Dutta had received Rs 41 lakh in foreign contributions from EJ in FY 2013-14, and had subsequently established LIFE Proprietorship, which had received Rs 22 crores during FY 2016-21 in the form of professional receipts.
The complaint further alleged that EJ and the Sandler Foundation had proposed to fund legal activism aimed at "taking down" India's existing or proposed coal projects, which would be a violation of FCRA and harmful to India's national economic security.
Dutta, a recipient of the Right Livelihood Award, also known as the Alternative Nobel Prize, has been recognized for his efforts to protect the environment in India through the use of law. However, the CBI's FIR has put a cloud over his reputation. The investigation is ongoing, and the allegations against Mr. Dutta and his organization will be thoroughly probed.
