KOCHI: The Kerala Catholic Bishops Council (KCBC) Jagratha Commission and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) have expressed grave concern over the introduction of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill 2026 (FCRA Amendment Bill) in the Lok Sabha.
Christian organisations have particularly highlighted the statement made by Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai as a dangerous one. Shashi Tharoor, MP, also came out against the bill, stating that it must be resisted by all means.
According to Fr Michael Pulickal, secretary, KCBC Jagratha Commission, the FCRA Amendment Bill which denies fundamental rights and minority rights granted by the Constitution and allows persecution based on religion has almost the same objectives as the Prohibition of Conversion Act.
“The danger of communalism conquering the country is becoming clearer when the Union Minister himself declared that the Prohibition of Conversion Act and FCRA have the same objectives,” Fr Michael said. He highlighted how the reform, which targets institutions in the education, health and social sectors with retrospective effect, will become another example of gross injustice that undermines democratic values and the constitutional rights of minorities.
“This amendment is another sign of the approach of judging services based on religion, forgetting that global brotherhood and service without borders have helped many people here. Many of the newly added sections are unacceptable to a democratically minded secular society,” he added.
CBCI too expressed grave concern, terming it dangerous and alarming in its implications. “Under the pretext of licence renewal, the proposed amendment risks enabling executive overreach into the constitutionally guaranteed freedoms of minorities,” CBCI said in a statement.
CBCI expressed strong objections to provisions that empower the Union government — being the licensing authority — to deny renewal or cancel licences and subsequently, through a newly proposed authority, assume control over the institutions, funds, properties, and assets of minority organisations and NGOs.
The Bishops’ Conference also questioned the intent behind the unilateral introduction of the bill in Parliament, despite protests from opposition MPs and calls for wider consultation and deliberation on matters affecting fundamental rights.
“Provisions enabling the Centre to take control of the foreign funds and assets of NGOs upon the expiry of their FCRA registration are undemocratic, unconstitutional, and contrary to the principles of natural justice,” CBCI said.
CBCI urged the Union government to reconsider the proposed amendments and to remove all contentious provisions from the bill. Meanwhile, Shashi Tharoor took to Facebook to highlight the dangers of the Bill. “It is truly perverse to inflict all of this on an institution like the Church, which has performed such invaluable service to Indian society through schools, colleges, hospitals and other charitable institutions.
I feel strongly that this bill must be resisted by all means available under the law, starting with the debate over its adoption in Parliament,” he posted. He also urged his Congress colleagues to oppose the bill when it comes up for discussion and to demand, at the very least, that it be referred to a select Committee for consideration of all these serious questions.
Contentious provisions in FCRA Amendment Bill
Court Challenges for Asset Seizures
If the “Designated Authority” provisionally or permanently seizes an organisation’s assets, the bill states these decisions can only be challenged before a court of law. The bill does not establish an independent FCRA Appellate Tribunal, leaving the specifics to be prescribed later by executive rules and forcing NGOs into regular courts.
Internal Administrative Review (Section 32)
For the cancellation or suspension of the certificate itself, organisations can file an online “Revision Application” under Section 32 of the FCRA, 2010, directly with the Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) within one year. However, this is an internal review where the government evaluates its own decision, historically yielding a low success rate.
Writ Petitions in the High Court
The most critical legal avenue will be filing Writ Petitions (Article 226 in High Courts or Article 32 in the Supreme Court).