Missionaries of Charity Wanted SBI To Freeze Accounts, Home Ministry Clarifies

New Delhi: As news of Missionaries of Charity’s bank accounts being frozen spread, the Centre didn’t take long to issue a clarification.

“MHA did not freeze any accounts of MoC. State Bank of India (SBI) has informed that MoC itself sent a request to SBI to freeze its accounts,” Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in a statement.

The Home ministry stated that the application for renewal of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act registration of the Mother Teresa-founded Missionaries of Charity was refused on December 25 as the organization didn’t meet eligibility conditions under the FCRA 2010 and Foreign Contribution Regulation Rules 2011.

SBI informed MHA that Missionaries of Charity itself sent a request to the bank to freeze its accounts.

MHA released the statement after West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee alleged in a tweet this afternoon that all bank accounts of the Missionaries had been frozen by the Centre.

The Home ministry further said that a request or revision application has not been been received from Missionaries for review of refusal of renewal.

Registration of Missionaries of Charity, registered under FCRA vide Registration No 147120001, was valid up to October 31, 2021, Hindustan Times reported.

The ministry said that the registration — valid till October 31, 2021 — was extended up to December 31. But some adverse inputs were noticed while considering the renewal application.

“In consideration of these inputs on record, the renewal application of MoC was not approved. The FCRA registration of MoC was valid up to 31st December 2021,” MHA said.