Chennai:
For now, foreign funding will not be cancelled for Greenpeace, the Madras High Court said today in a major break for the environmental group.
In September, the home ministry had cancelled the registration under which Greenpeace gets foreign funds, claiming it broke the law and funded political activities. Seven of its bank accounts have also been frozen.
The action was part of a wider crackdown, with the government tightening surveillance on foreign-funded non-governmental organisations, cancelling several of their licences.
The Greenpeace then moved court in Chennai -- where the India Chapter has been registered -- arguing that there was no ground for the cancellation. The court has given the Centre two months to justify its action.
In its petition, Greenpeace said the Centre was taking recourse to the "draconian and unconstitutional" provisions of its law on foreign contributions "after having failed in its earlier misadventures."
"First they suspended the petitioner's registration... and then issued order to freeze the petitioner's bank account, including accounts used purely for deposit of domestic funds," the petition read.
In May, a New Delhi court allowed Greenpeace to gather domestic donations.
"Since the majority of our funding comes from Indian citizens, most of our work can indeed continue," a Greenpeace statement had said.
In a tweet today, Greenpeace said: