THE Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has booked the Madurai-based Centre for Promotion of Social Concerns (CPSC), and its program unit People’s Watch, under Sections 120B (Punishment of criminal conspiracy) and 420 (Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the Indian Penal Code, as well as on charges of violation of the Foreign Contributions Regulation Act (FCRA), 2010.

CPSC was established as a Trust in 1982, and People’s Watch is a human rights research, intervention and advocacy programme that has been running under its aegis since 1995.

As per media reports, the first information report (FIR) registered against CPSC by the CBI alleges that CPSC had withdrawn foreign contributions to the tune of Rs. 44.54 lakh during 2011-12 and 2012-13 on 240 occasions, and had used the foreign contributions for a purpose other than what it was meant for. It is also alleged in the FIR that CPSC withdrew Rs 1.70 crores between 2008 and 2012 that did not tally with the vouchers available.

The FIR, purportedly filed on January 6, is based on a complaint dated July 22, 2014 by A.K. Sinha, the then Director in the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on the basis of findings from two inspections conducted by MHA officials at the CPSC’s office in Madurai in May 2012 and 2014.

Pursuant to the FIR, the CBI, armed with a search warrant dated January 7, had conducted search operations at the CPSC’s office for about 10 hours on Saturday, as per a statement released  by Henri Tiphagne, Executive Director, People’s Watch.

...........................................