SRINAGAR: The Lok Sabha on Wednesday referred the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for detailed examination, amid strong objections from opposition parties and concerns raised by minority organisations.
The motion to refer the Bill to the JPC was moved by Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, although the day’s business schedule had indicated that Union Home Minister Amit Shah would move it.
During a brief discussion before the motion was adopted, Congress leader K C Venugopal questioned Shah’s absence and alleged that the proposed legislation could adversely affect minorities. He called for the Bill to be withdrawn.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav also opposed the legislation, saying opposition parties were united in their view that the proposed amendments were anti-minority.
Rejecting the allegations, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the Bill did not contain any provision targeting a particular community. He said foreign contributions could be received only in accordance with procedures laid down by law and asserted that the proposed changes were intended to safeguard the interests of all communities.
The JPC will have 31 members, with 21 nominated by the Lok Sabha Speaker and 10 by the Rajya Sabha Chairman. The committee has been asked to submit its report during the first week of the Winter Session of Parliament.
The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 25. Its consideration was deferred in April amid concerns expressed by several church groups, particularly in the run-up to the Assembly elections in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
The proposed legislation seeks to introduce a new Chapter IIIA providing for a designated authority to take provisional custody of foreign contributions and assets in cases where an organisation’s FCRA registration has been cancelled, surrendered or has otherwise ceased to remain valid.
If the organisation fails to obtain a fresh certificate or have its registration renewed or restored within the prescribed period, the foreign contribution and related assets could permanently vest with the designated authority. Such assets may subsequently be transferred to a ministry, department or authority of the Centre or a state government in accordance with prescribed rules.
The Bill provides a specific provision for places of worship among such assets, stating that they would have to be regulated in a manner that preserves their religious character.
The designated authority would also be empowered to access books of accounts, electronic records, bank accounts and other relevant documents of persons whose foreign contributions or assets have been vested with it.
For specified proceedings, the authority would have powers similar to those of a civil court, including summoning individuals, enforcing attendance, requiring production of documents and receiving evidence.
A person aggrieved by an order of the designated authority would be entitled to appeal before a District Judge within 90 days.
The Bill also proposes changes to Section 3 of the FCRA, which bars certain categories of persons from accepting foreign contributions. The amendment seeks to broaden the provision by replacing the existing reference to specified categories, including media or news companies and associations, with the wider expression “any person”.
Another proposed change concerns Section 48, under which no investigation into an offence under the Act could be initiated without prior approval from the Central Government.
The referral to the JPC is expected to allow the government and opposition to examine the proposed changes in greater detail before the legislation is taken up again by Parliament.
