india

Updated: Oct 18, 2019 12:37 IST

The Central Bureau of Investigation has approached the Supreme Court challenging the July 25 order of Bombay high court which granted interim relief to the NGO Lawyer’s Collective and its founders - senior advocates Indira Jaising and Anand Grover from any coercive action.

The agency filed a special leave petition (SLP) in the apex court on Thursday, officials’ familiar with the development said.

The Central Bureau of Investigation had registered a case on June 18 against Lawyer’s Collective for allegedly violating the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) on the basis of a complaint from the ministry of home affairs (MHA), which has alleged several discrepancies in the utilisation of foreign aid received by the NGO. Its offices in Delhi and Mumbai were also raided by the agency at that time.

At that time, Indira Jaising had stated, “Mr Grover and I are being targeted for the human rights work that we have done over the years”.

The organisation, which was founded in 1981, states on its website that it “is a group of lawyers with a mission to empower and change the status of marginalised groups through the effective use of law, and an engagement in human rights advocacy, legal aid and litigation.”

Lawyer’s Collective had approached the Bombay HC seeking quashing of FIR. The high court had then directed the CBI not to take any coercive action against the organization.