MHA targets Greenpeace despite court issuing stay orders

Greenpeace has learnt that one of its bank accounts have been frozen again, in violation of the stay granted by the Madras High Court.

 

The court had ordered an eight week stay on the MHA’s earlier decision to cancel Greenpeace FCRA licence.

 

Vinuta Gopal, interim co-Executive Director of Greenpeace India said, “Although this suggests a continuing judicial process lies ahead, we remain confident that we are on solid legal ground. We can see no justification whatsoever for this latest assault against us. The bank account that has been targeted this time, is the one that receives donations from thousands of our Indian supporters; this action of the Ministry is against our constitutional right to free speech and association. Time and again, the courts have upheld our right to exist, our right to campaign, and in effect, our right to raise questions about government policies, and we are confident they will continue to do so.”

 

"This latest move of the MHA comes even as Modi is on a diplomatic mission to the United States, where he is scheduled to meet US President Barack Obama, as well as address the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit," MHA claimed. 

 

“When it comes to meeting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, a healthy dialogue with civil society can significantly strengthen governments’ efforts to hold developed countries to their climate obligations, and uphold the rights of people in developing countries,” Gopal said.

 

“India enjoys a fine reputation as the world’s largest, most vibrant democracy. But the actions of the MHA have already placed this reputation under threat, as voices of dissent are being methodically crushed. The UN Special Rapporteur has recently criticised India’s actions in suppressing civil society and ‘vilifying’ voices of dissent," cautioned Gopal, “Our Vice-President Hamid Ansari has also spoken clearly and emphatically about the importance of the right to dissent, and the need to respect differences of opinion as ‘an essential ingredient of plurality’. We draw great moral strength from his assertion that ‘the right of dissent also becomes the duty of dissent since tactics to suppress dissent tend to diminish the democratic essence. In a wider sense, the expression of dissent can and does play a role in preventing serious mistakes’.” 

 

“Greenpeace has an important role to play, speaking up in defence of, and bearing witness to crimes against the environment. We cannot allow these distractions to keep us from the very real projects we need to run, to promote renewable energy, reduce dangerous levels of air pollution, protect India’s forests and campaign for safe food and ecological agriculture,” concluded Gopal.