NEW DELHI: The home ministry has suspended the registration of prominent public law think tank Centre for Policy Research (CPR) under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 (FCRA), alleging prime facie offenses of arrangements of the law.

The six-month suspension of the licence makes CPR disqualified to receive or make use of foreign funds, unless specifically authorised by the government.Set up 50 years back, CPR has listed a number of agencies as its partners and donors, consisting of Namati that counts Open Society Foundation, founded by billionaire George Soros, as one of its supporters .

Soros had actually just recently connected PM Narendra Modi to the Adani debate, only to be knocked by BJP as well as external affairs minister S Jaishankar.CPR, which has actually had previous Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and former Chief Justice of India Y V Chandrachud on its governing board, has actually been under the scrutiny of the income-tax department for presumed infractions.

Last September, along with Oxfam and Independent Public Spirited Media Foundation, it was one of the 3 entities that dealt with an income-tax study, which was followed by more questions from the authorities.In a statement posted on its site, the think tank stated it had actually received notifications from the tax department following the study and had actually responded to them.

CPR has and continues to cooperate completely with the authorities.

We are in complete compliance with the law and are routinely scrutinised and investigated by federal government authorities, including the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.

We have yearly statutory audits and all our yearly audited balance sheets remain in the public domain.

There is no concern of having undertaken any activity that is beyond our objects of association and compliance mandated by law, it said.According to its yearly report, throughout 2021-22, CPR had received over Rs 3.2 crore from Namati for an environmental justice job.

It had actually gotten Rs 2.5 crore from the entity throughout 2019-20.

In addition, CPR has actually listed World Bank, UN firms, international universities, Indian Council for Social Science Research, ICMR, NITI Aayog, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and William - & Flora Hewlett Foundation as popular donors.While the federal government has not mentioned the factor for its suspension, authorities alleged infraction of legal arrangements connected to FCRA.CPR stated it will check out all opportunity and recourse and added: We are positive that the matter will be dealt with quickly, in fairness and in the spirit of constitutional values.

WatchCentre suspends FCRA license of public law think tank amidst infraction over financing norms