The Bombay High Court on Thursday restrained the CBI from taking any coercive action against NGO Lawyers Collective and its founding members, senior lawyers Anand Grover and Indira Jaising.
A bench of justices Ranjit More and Bharati Dangre granted the interim protection till August 19, the next date of hearing.
The CBI had registered a case against Grover and the NGO over alleged violation of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) in use of foreign funds received by Lawyers Collective.
The petitioners approached the high court on Thursday, seeking that the FIR registered by the CBI against the NGO and Grover in June, be quashed.
Senior Advocate Aspi Chinoy, their lawyer, denied all charges of FCRA violation and alleged that the FIR and the Ministry of Home Affairs complaint preceding it were "ex facie (on the face of it) examples of abuse of power".
The CBI registered the FIR following a complaint by the MHA in May, alleging violation of FCRA provisions. While the FIR did not name Jaising as an accused, the MHA complaint, which is part of the FIR, mentioned her name and made specific allegations against her.
The CBI alleged that the NGO received foreign funds between 2009 and 2015, but failed to disclose a major part of it. CBI counsel and Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh said that Grover and Jaising used foreign funds for "personal benefits".
He also said that according to the MHA complaint, during her tenure as additional solicitor general, Jaising continued to draw remuneration from the NGO. This remuneration money came out of foreign contributions received by the NGO, he said.
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