FCRA was passed to curb 'neo-colonialism': HC

The Delhi High Court held that Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Bill, 1973 was passed to prevent the country from a relentless siege of foreign powers which were trying to control developing nations despite end of the colonial era and imperialist regime.
Referring to Parliamentary debates on the Bill, the High Court said "Though the said Foreign Powers were no longer involved in subjugating the territories of the newly independent colonies, yet a vicious onslaught of political and economic subjugation was conceived and executed through their instrumentalities, which practice has been popularly termed as neo-colonialism".
A bench of justices Pradeep Nandrajog and Jayanth Nath said the reasons are not hard to seek and the predominant object ostensibly being to gain economically and cripple the economies of the developing and the underdeveloped Third-World Countries till eternity.

"Political parties and pliant public functionaries were influenced by these foreign powers to toe their lines and in return were handsomely rewarded in myriad forms, which included bribes, extending lavish hospitality, sponsorship of education of their relatives in reputed Universities abroad and even securing attractive career opportunities in Multi-National Corporations," it said.
The bench also referred to the debates on the floor of the Parliament on an inquiry conducted by the Intelligence Bureau as per which it was revealed that the political parties were funded by foreign powers for the elections held in the year 1967.
"Various distinguished Members of the House extensively referred to materials, including reportings, contained in prestigious newspapers of the United States of America such as the New York Times, confirming the subversive activities undertaken by the CIA in the Third-World countries with a view to further American hegemony and tilt the balance of power," it said.

"Deep concern was unanimously expressed by all members cutting across party lines that in the recent past the foreign powers were alarmingly successful in wielding their satanic influence to corrupt public life and create a class of citizens having extra-territorial loyalty," it said.