Greenpeace says its charitable registration to operate in India has been revoked.

Greenpeace says its charitable registration to operate in India has been revoked.

 

Image copyrightAFP

Image captionThe organisation plans to challenge the decision in court

Greenpeace says its charitable registration to operate in India has been revoked.

The environmental campaign group says that the decision effectively shuts it down in India.

The government of Narendra Modi has previously accused Greenpeace of flouting tax laws and having an anti-development agenda.

The pressure group has been working in India for 14 years and employs more than 300 people.

The BBC's correspondent in Delhi, Justin Rowlatt, says Mr Modi's government has been accused of a major crackdown on NGOs and charitable groups ever since he came to power in 2014.

Greenpeace says it plans to challenge this latest decision. It follows a ruling that the organisation could not raise money abroad - which was itself successfully challenged.

Interim Executive Director Vinuta Gopal said in a statement:

"We are confident that we are on strong legal ground. We have faith in the legal process and are confident of overcoming this order."

Indian government ordered to unfreeze Greenpeace funds

• 20 January 2015
 
• From the sectionIndia

Image captionIndia's intelligence service has accused Greenpeace of running campaigns that hurt Indian business

An Indian court has ordered the government to release thousands of dollars in funds belonging to the environmental pressure group Greenpeace.

The funds, which had been sent from abroad, were frozen amid accusations that campaign groups were hurting India's economy.

The money, totalling more than $272,000 (£179,000), was frozen in June 2014.

Greenpeace has called the ruling a victory of democracy and free speech.

Greenpeace India said the government had "arbitrarily barred" it from receiving foreign funds from Greenpeace International and Climate Works Foundation in June 2014.

This is a strong signal from the judiciary that the government must cease its campaign of harassment of civil society

Samit Aich, Executive director of Greenpeace India

The Delhi High Court directed the home ministry to unblock the funds in September 2014 but Greenpeace India said it did not receive the money.

Tuesday's ruling means the funds will be released with immediate effect, the group said.

"This is a vindication of our work and the role that credible NGOs (non-governmental organisations) play in support of India's development," Samit Aich, Greenpeace India's executive director, said in a statement.

"This is a strong signal from the judiciary that the government must cease its campaign of harassment of civil society" he said.

Doubts continue

India's government can appeal against the decision in a higher court.

The BBC's correspondent in Mumbai, Yogita Limaye, says Tuesday's ruling only pertains to the specific funds frozen in June and does not affect the order the government has in place to prevent Greenpeace and some other NGOs from getting other funds from abroad without the clearance of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The order came after an Indian intelligence report last year accused several campaign groups of stalling development projects by carrying out protests against their environmental impact.