The Income Tax Department is currently undertaking searches at the Delhi-based independent think tank Centre for Policy Research, according to several media reports.
The action is “connected to” simultaneous raids in Haryana, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, among other places, “over funding of more than 20 registered but non-recognised political parties, sources told NDTV.
The CPR governing board is currently chaired by Meenakshi Gopinath, a political scientist who taught at Jawaharlal Nehru University and was the principal of Lady Shri Ram College in New Delhi.
It was previously chaired by academician Pratap Bhanu Mehta, a prominent critic of the BJP government. Yamini Aiyar is the company’s president and CEO. Former foreign secretary Shyam Saran and IIM professor Rama Bijapurkar are among the board members.
Concerning funding, the thinktank states on its website that because it is recognised by the government of India as a not-for-profit society, contributions to it are tax-exempt. “CPR receives grants from a variety of domestic and international sources,” it says, adding that “a full accounting of annual finances and grants” is available on the website.
It was founded in 1973 and describes itself as “a non-partisan, independent institution dedicated to conducting research that contributes to high quality scholarship, better policies, and a more robust public discourse about issues affecting Indian life.”
One of its stated goals is to “ask relevant questions.”
Concerning the alleged link to illicit funding of political parties, it is worth noting that, according to the most recent data from last year, India has 2,858 parties registered with the Election Commission of India, of which 2,796 are unrecognised, meaning they have not met the minimum criteria for independent recognition.
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