Six days after registering a case against activist Teesta Setalvad, CBI today searched four premises linked to her for alleged violation of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) in accepting donations from abroad without obtaining permission from the home ministry.
Armed with court warrants, the CBI sleuths searched four places including premises owned by Setalvad, her husband Javed Anand, an associate Gulam Mohammed Peshimam and the offices of Sabrang Communication and Publishing Pvt Limited (SCPPL).
Setalvad, who was at fore front of campaign for 2002 Gujarat riots victims, flayed the CBI action, saying she was "surprised and shocked" as it had happened despite her "offering full cooperation" to the central probe agency.
The CBI had registered a case against them on July 8 under IPC section 120-B related to criminal conspiracy, besides provisions of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 2010 and Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 1976.
"We had written a letter to CBI offering full cooperation and telling the agency that whatever so-called offences are registered against us, we will cooperate. So we don't understand the rationale behind this entire operation," she said.
"We believe that it is a caged-parrot in operation and its a political vendetta and they are trying to humiliate and intimidate us," she said, noting "the team here is very professional but we don't know where it will end".
However, CBI spokesperson Kanchan Prasad said the searches were being conducted after following the due process of law and also countered the cooperation claim of Setalvad, contending "as far as cooperation with CBI is concerned, they have not been able to explain the violation of the FCRA".
CBI had registered a case after completing verification of all the documents submitted by the home ministry, which had referred them to the probe agency.
It was alleged that SCPPL violated FCRA by accepting a donation of USD 2.9 lakh from US-based Ford Foundation without getting clearance from the Home Ministry.
