The spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Anurag Srivastava, also stated that India was a democratic political organization based on the rule of law and an independent judiciary.
“We have seen some comments from UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on an issue related to the Foreign Contributions Regulation Act (FCRA). India is a democratic system of government based on the rule of law and an independent judiciary.
“Law-making is obviously a sovereign prerogative. However, violations of the law cannot be tolerated under the pretext of human rights. A more informed view of the matter was expected from a UN body,” Srivastava said.
Previously, Bachelet expressed concern about restrictions on foreign funding for NGOs and the arrest of activists in the country.
He called on the Indian government to “safeguard the rights of human rights defenders and NGOs, and their ability to carry out their crucial work” on behalf of the many groups they represent.
“India has long had a strong civil society, which has been at the forefront of innovative human rights advocacy at home and around the world,” he said in a statement.
“But I am concerned that loosely defined laws are increasingly being used to stifle these voices,” he said.
Bachelet specifically cited as “concerning” the use of the FCRA, which prohibits the receipt of foreign funds “for any activity that harms the public interest.”
In accordance with the amended FCRA, the provision of Aadhaar numbers by NGO officials has become mandatory for registration. The law also provides for the reduction of administrative expenses of any NGO that receives foreign funding, from 50% to 20% of the annual funds to guarantee spending on its main objectives.
The government has maintained that the legislation was not against any NGO and was an effort to maintain transparency.
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