Greenpeace India on Monday said it will send a legal notice to the Union Home Ministry for making “defamatory” allegations against it and called for “unconditional retraction”.

In a statement, the NGO said the ministry was making “baseless and defamatory” allegations against Greenpeace India through the media.

Samit Aich, Executive Director of Greenpeace India, said that their lawyers are preparing to send a “cease and desist” notice to the ministry and demanded a “full and unconditional” retraction, withdrawing and apologising for these unfounded allegations. 

The NGO’s action came after a senior official of the ministry was quoted in a news report saying that they had “evidence to show that Greenpeace was paying villagers to become obstructionists”.

“The MHA has made a serious allegation to the media without a scrap of evidence to back it up. We are currently preparing a legal notice in relation to these false, malicious and grossly defamatory statements. It is using unfounded allegations to smear Greenpeace India’s reputation because we are winning strong public support,” he said.

Greenpeace India has been served a showcause notice by the government, asking why its registration should not be cancelled on the ground that it had violated laws regarding foreign donations.

The NGO has approached Delhi High Court seeking quashing the proceedings against it and is hoping for a “positive outcome” when the judges hear the case on Tuesday.