Stopped at airport, Amnesty International India chief Aakar Patel moves Delhi court against CBI ‘look out circular’

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 6

Hours after he was stopped from leaving the country at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport, in view of a CBI ‘look out circular’ (LOC) in a Foreign Contributions (Regulation) Act (FCRA) violation case, Amnesty International India chief Aakar Patel on Wednesday moved a Delhi court challenging the LOC.

Alleging that he was stopped by the immigration authorities at the airport while he was boarding a flight to Boston in the US, Patel sought the court’s permission to visit the USA to “take up his foreign assignment and lecture series organised by various universities” till May 30. He said he was stopped despite an order by a Gujarat court granting him permission to travel to the USA.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Pawan Kumar issued notice to the CBI and asked the agency to respond to Patel’s plea by Thursday – the next date of hearing.

The LOC was issued on the basis of a charge sheet filed by the CBI in a special CBI court here on December 31, 2021 for alleged violation of FCRA provisions.

Patel said he was not aware why the circular had been issued against him and said that he wanted to fly to the US to deliver lectures in three universities.

The charge sheet was filed by the agency in the special CBI court at Rouse Avenue against Patel and Amnesty International under Section 11 read with Sections 35 and 39 of the Act after a two-year probe into alleged violations, they said. The CBI had raided Amnesty International India’s offices in Bengaluru and New Delhi in November 2019. In 2018, the Enforcement Directorate had raided the Amnesty International India office in connection with a foreign exchange contravention case.

The case was registered against Amnesty International India Pvt Ltd (AIIPL), Indians For Amnesty International Trust (IAIT), Amnesty International India Foundation Trust (AIIFT), Amnesty International South Asia Foundation (AISAF) and others in November 2019.

It was alleged that the provision of the FCRA and IPC were contravened by the aforesaid entities by receiving foreign contributions from Amnesty International UK through AIIPL even though prior registration or permissions were denied to AIIFT and other trusts under FCRA, the officials said.

According to a complaint filed by the Home Ministry to the CBI, AIIPL is a ‘for-profit’ company. It was observed that London-based Amnesty International worked through four companies, which have been named by the CBI in the case.

It is alleged that a payment of Rs 10 crore, classified as Foreign Direct Investment, was remitted to Amnesty India from the London office without taking the home ministry’s approval. Further, Rs 26 crore has been remitted to Amnesty India, “primarily from the UK based entities”. (With PTI inputs)