The FCRA registrations of Delhi University and JNU have been cancelled for alleged violation of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act 2010, leaving both the universities in a lurch.
This may cause disruption in the offer of fellowships for international seminars and programmes to students as well as the Memorandum of Understanding, that each has signed with the foreign institutes/universities.
The major cause of concern, however, is whether DU and JNU fall under FCRA. A document by the Ministry of Home Affairs does state that all statutory bodies established under a Central Act and audi ted by the Comptroller & Auditor General of India are exempted from all the provisions of FCRA 2010.
It is highly likely that this decision will affect Delhi University largely as it has several collaborations with foreign institutions including MoUs with over 50 universities. This however, does not mean that DU receives funds from them. For instance, the Department of Germanic and Romance Studies has agreements with at least 10 European universities but in no case does a university send funds to India.
The de-licensing has caused about 971 organisations to be stripped of their registration since the month of May under the FCRA. The premiere non-profit bodies that have hit the list are the Supreme Court Bar Association, Indian Law Institute, Gujarat National Law University, School of Planning and Architecture, Escorts Heart Institute among others.
