FCRA Amendment Bill Sent to Joint Parliamentary Committee

A three-member Lok Sabha inquiry committee found Justice Yashwant Varma guilty over the alleged discovery of substantial unexplained ₹500 notes at his official residence. The panel said he failed to explain their presence, source or ownership, and noted that the storeroom’s evidentiary condition was disturbed before inspection. Varma has resigned, making removal proceedings largely moot, although the Law Ministry had not yet notified his resignation.

The article argues that Justice Yashwant Varma’s resignation makes continued Lok Sabha removal proceedings unlikely, despite an inquiry committee reportedly finding proven charges concerning unaccounted currency at his official residence. It explains that Article 217 permits a judge to resign by writing to the President and cites a 1978 Supreme Court ruling indicating that an immediate resignation takes effect upon submission, unlike a prospective resignation that may be withdrawn beforehand.

The government referred the FCRA Amendment Bill to a 31-member JPC following pressure from the Northeast and opposition protests. Opposition parties alleged that the amendments could be weaponised against civil-society groups, churches and other minority institutions dependent on foreign funding. The committee must report during the Winter Session’s first week. Meghalaya’s BJP unit nevertheless welcomed scrutiny as evidence that the Centre was not rushing the amendments.

The Centre referred the FCRA Amendment Bill, 2026, to a 31-member Joint Parliamentary Committee amid forceful Lok Sabha protests. Opposition parties questioned Amit Shah’s absence and alleged that the proposed designated authority could be used against NGOs and minority-run institutions by taking control of foreign-funded assets after registration ends. Congress and Samajwadi Party leaders demanded the legislation’s withdrawal.

BSP chief Mayawati accused both the BJP government and Congress-led opposition of excessively politicising the FCRA Amendment Bill at the expense of national interests. She contrasted opposition claims that the Bill is anti-minority with the government’s foreign-funding corruption rationale. Mayawati criticised the government’s initial push for rapid passage but also blamed opposition disruption for preventing a substantive parliamentary discussion before the Bill was sent to a JPC.

The Lok Sabha referred the FCRA Amendment Bill, 2026, to a 31-member Joint Parliamentary Committee after substantial opposition protests. The panel must report during the first week of the Winter Session. Opposition MPs alleged that provisions transferring foreign-funded assets from organisations that lose registration to a designated authority could disproportionately affect NGOs and minority-run institutions, and they demanded withdrawal or clarification.