Fact-check: Missionaries of Charity requested SBI to freeze bank accounts, says MHA

The central government on Monday rubbished reports which claimed that the bank accounts of Kolkata-based Missionaries of Charity had been frozen.

Team Newsable

New Delhi, First Published Dec 27, 2021, 6:44 PM IST

The central government on Monday rubbished reports which claimed that the bank accounts of Kolkata-based Missionaries of Charity had been frozen. Refuting reports which have been doing the rounds, the Union Home Ministry said that the State Bank of India had informed that Missionaries of Charity itself sent a request to the bank to freeze its accounts

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had earlier in the day claimed that bank accounts of the non-profit organisation founded by Mother Teresa were frozen by the Centre. Taking to Twitter to express her "shock", Mamata said that the Centre's move had left 22,000 patients and employees of the charitable group without food and medicines.

In a statement, the MHA said that the Missionaries of Charity's application for the renewal of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act registration was rejected on December 25, 2021. The application was rejected as the charitable organisation had not met the necessary eligibility conditions under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Rules 2011 and FCRA 2010. Thereafter, no request or revision application had been received from Missionaries of Charity for a review of this refusal of renewal.

The Union Home Ministry further noted that the registration of Missionaries of Charity (registered under FCRA vide Registration No 147120001) was valid up to October 31, 2021, following which it was extended up to December 31, 2021, along with other FCRA associations whose renewal applications were pending renewal.

However, while considering the Missionaries of Charity's renewal application, some adverse inputs were noticed based on which it was not approved, the home ministry said, adding that it did not freeze any accounts of the charitable organisation.

The Missionaries of Charity confirmed the Union Home Ministry's statement and put an end to speculations by stating that their FCRA registration has been neither suspended nor cancelled. Read their statement below.

Fact check Missionaries of Charity requested SBI to freeze bank accounts, says MHA