In a statement issued by the Spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs, Anurag Srivastava, India has responded to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet’s comments on the status of NGOs functioning in India. The MEA insisted that law cannot be overlooked in wake of human rights.
“We have seen some comments by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on an issue relating to the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA). India is a democratic polity based on the rule of law and an independent judiciary. The framing of laws is obviously a sovereign prerogative. Violations of law, however, cannot be condoned under the pretext of human rights. A more informed view of the matter was expected of a UN body,” MEA said in a statement.
He shared the statement and tweeted, “Read our statement on comments by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on an issue related to Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA).”
In an earlier, Ms Bachelet had said, “India has long had a strong civil society, which has been at the forefront of groundbreaking human rights advocacy within the country and globally. But I am concerned that vaguely defined laws are increasingly being used to stifle these voices,” she said.