The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has sent notices to over 700 NGOs, including one run by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia, for not submitting their annual returns.

The NGOs have been served a notice to explain “why their registration should not be cancelled for not filing their annual returns.”

Sources said the notice was being sent to the NGOs after they failed to give a proof of their expenditure and legitimate spending regarding foreign remittances received from various donors. The list also mentions an NGO Vishwa Gujarati Samaj, of which PM Narendra Modi was the patron during his stint as the Gujarat Chief Minister.

“In November 2014, we had identified over 10,000 NGOs operating in the country, whose books of accounts were not found in place. Now we have zeroed down on 748 organisations who receive foreign donations but have not filed their return,” said a senior Home Ministry official.

NGO Kabir, run by Sisodia, has reportedly not filed its annual return since 2009. The MHA had in 2013, during the tenure of the UPA government, opened an enquiry against Kabir for allegedly duiverting foreign funds for “personal use.” The allegations of misuse could not be substantiated then.

“We found that Kabir has not filed its annual return, which is a mandatory procedure under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) 2010,” said the official.

The official said associations registered under FCRA 2010 are required to submit annual report in Form FC-6, accompanied by an income and expenditure statement, receipt and payment account, balance sheet et al for every financial year. “Associations that didn’t receive foreign contribution… are also required to furnish a nil return. The NGOs have to justify now why their registration should not be cancelled for violating FCRA,” said the official.

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