CBI case against Teesta for accepting foreign funds illegally
NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of I nvestig ation ( CBI) on Wednesday registered a case against social activist Teesta Setalvad’s Mumbai-based company Sabrang Communications and Publishing Private Limited (SCPPL) and three of its directors, including her, for alleged acceptance of illegal foreign contributions.
The case was re gistered for conducting a probe into allegations related to criminal conspiracy and violations of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) for “illegal acceptance of foreign contribution without registration and prior permission from the Union ministry of home affairs,” said a CBI source.
The CBI action came after the home ministry recently asked the agency to conduct a probe into funding received by SCPPL.
A bank account of the firm located in Mumbai has also been frozen on the instructions of the home ministry.
Despite repeated attempts, HT could not reach Setalvad.
Setalvad, who was at the forefront of campaign for 2002 Gujarat riots victims, told news agency PTI, “We are only responding to media reports which are following leakage from the government side.” She said, “We have got nothing from the CBI. While we maintain that no rules were violated, we still suo motu wrote a letter to CBI on June 30 assuring them full cooperation and stating that we were willing to co-operate in any investigations. We also told them to give us a notice to furnish any documents they require.”
In a letter to CBI’s joint director (economic offences) Rajeev Sharma, the home ministry had said that SCPPL was a private limited company engaged in media and publication. Two of its directors, Setalvad and her husband Anand, write columns and articles regularly.
“Such entities are prohibited from receiving foreign contributions. The company has received foreign contributions of $ 2,90,000 and ` 1.30 crore in violation of sections 4(1)(b) and 3(1)(b) of the Foreign Contributions Regulation Act (FCRA),” the letter had said.