CBI files chargesheet against Oxfam India over ‘FCRA violations’
Oxfam India was registered under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act to undertake social activities, and its registration was valid until December 31, 2021.
Written by Nirbhay Thakur
New Delhi | Updated: January 23, 2025 04:42 PM IST
3 min read
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The MHA recommended a CBI inquiry into alleged FCRA violations by Oxfam India in 2023.
(File)
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) recently filed a chargesheet against Oxfam India and its executive director Amitabh Behar over alleged violations of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), which regulates foreign grants received by non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
“Fresh charge-sheet is received by way of assignment. It be checked and registered… Put up on 04.03.2025 for appearance of IO/consideration on the charge-sheet,” said Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Nishant Garg of Rouse Avenue Court in an order dated January 9.
Oxfam India was registered under the FCRA, 2010, for undertaking social activities and its registration was valid up to December 31, 2021. During this time, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) found several alleged FCRA violations by Oxfam India. In April 2023, the MHA recommended a CBI inquiry into alleged FCRA violations by the global non-profit organisation.
The MHA alleged that Oxfam India had been “planning to make a structure to continue its operation with the support of foreign funds after the rejection of its application for FCRA renewal in January 2022”, The Indian Express has learnt. After the denial of its FCRA renewal application, the NGO became ineligible for receiving foreign donations.
A source had earlier told the Indian Express that the MHA found that Oxfam India continued to transfer foreign contributions to various entities even after coming into force of the amendment to the FCRA dated September 29, 2020, which prohibits such transfers.
The amendment to the FCRA has prohibited NGOs from transferring foreign grants to other FCRA NGOs. “Oxfam India received foreign contributions amounting to around Rs 1.50 crore directly into its FC utilisation account instead of receiving foreign contributions in designated FCRA accounts,” the MHA had alleged, the Indian Express has learnt.
As per the amendment, an FCRA-registered NGO will have to open a bank account with a branch of the State Bank of India (SBI) in Delhi and only here can the foreign contributions be sent.
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“An email dated 02-12-2020 impounded during the survey contains details of the projected expenditure of Oxfam India for FY 2021-22…which revealed that estimated administrative expenditure for FY 2021-22 is 33% instead of 20% which is violation of FCRA Act,” the MHA had earlier said.
The amendment to the FCRA lowered the cap on administrative expenses from 50 per cent of foreign funds received to 20 per cent. As per sources, the MHA also alleged the NGO was pressurising “the Indian government for FCRA approval from international agencies (such as the World Bank and the IMF) and domestic entities” via emails.
Nirbhay Thakur is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express who primarily covers district courts in Delhi and has reported on the trials of many high-profile cases since 2023.
Professional Background
Education: Nirbhay is an economics graduate from Delhi University.
Beats: His reporting spans the trial courts, and he occasionally interviews ambassadors and has a keen interest in doing data stories.
Specializations: He has a specific interest in data stories related to courts.
Core Strength: Nirbhay is known for tracking long-running legal sagas and providing meticulous updates on high-profile criminal trials.
Recent notable articles
In 2025, he has written long form articles and two investigations. Along with breaking many court stories, he has also done various exclusive stories.
1) A long form on Surender Koli, accused in the Nithari serial killings of 2006. He was acquitted after spending 2 decades in jail. was a branded man. Deemed the “cannibal" who allegedly lured children to his employer’s house in Noida, murdered them, and “ate their flesh” – his actions cited were cited as evidence of human depravity at its worst. However, the SC acquitted him finding various lapses in the investigation. The Indian Express spoke to his lawyers and traced the 2 decades journey.
2) For decades, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has been at the forefront of the Government’s national rankings, placed at No. 2 over the past two years alone. It has also been the crucible of campus activism, its protests often spilling into national debates, its student leaders going on to become the faces and voices of political parties of all hues and thoughts. The Indian Express looked at all court cases spanning over two decades and did an investigation.
3) Investigation on the 700 Delhi riots cases. The Indian Express found that in 17 of 93 acquittals (which amounted to 85% of the decided cases) in Delhi riots cases, courts red-flag ‘fabricated’ evidence and pulled up the police.
Signature Style
Nirbhay’s writing is characterized by its procedural depth. He excels at summarizing 400-page chargesheets and complex court orders into digestible news for the general public.
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