CHENNAI: The Madras high court has granted a stay on the Tamil Nadu Registrar of Societies' order cancelling the registration of the environment NGO, Greenpeace India.

The organization was registered as an NGO in India under the Tamil Nadu Registrar of Societies (RoS).

In its order on November 4, the registrar had cancelled its permit, against which the NGOs interim executive director Vinuta Gopal had filed a writ petition. According to the petition, the registrar said the state did not allow the NGO to submit its case.

The order was against principles of natural justice, the petition had said.

The registrar's order impinged the organisation's fundamental rights to freedom of expression. If the order was not stayed, Greenpeace India would be put to "irreparable loss and harm," said the petition.

On Friday, Justice M M Sundresh granted an injunction for four weeks.

After the verdict was passed the NGO said that the court order was the sixth time in the last one-and-a-half years that Greenpeace and its activists have succeeded against multiple attempts to restrict its operations and funding, as well as attempts to shut it down. "The courts have consistently ruled in favour of the NGO," it said.

Reacting to the order, Priya Pillai of Greenpeace India said, "We were confident the courts would agree that Greenpeace is on sound legal footing and has done nothing wrong, notwithstanding the government's ridiculous allegations of fraud in this instance. Our accounts are an open book and on our website for all to inspect".

Pillai said, "We draw tremendous strength from victories like these, as they prove that we are secure in both, our mandate for a green and peaceful future, as well as our constituency of lakhs of Indian supporters.

"As a people powered organisation, instead of fighting and winning legal battles, we would much rather continue to contribute to solve India's serious development challenges - air pollution, disappearing forests, the need for safe food and clean electricity for all. Surely, solving these problems is part of the government's agenda too. We'd like to once again ask them to collaborate with civil society on these issues".