Missionaries of Charity itself requested SBI to freeze all bank accounts: Centre

Union home ministry on Monday said that the application for the renewal of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act registration of Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity was refused on December 25 for not meeting the eligibility conditions under the FCRA 2010 and Foreign Contribution Regulation Rules 2011.

State Bank of India informed the Union home ministry that Missionaries of Charity itself sent a request to the bank to freeze its accounts, according to a release.

The ministry issued a statement after West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee alleged that all bank accounts of MoC were frozen by the Centre. Banerjee said that all 22,000 patients and employees have been left without food and medicines, adding that “humanitarian efforts must not be compromised.”

The home ministry said that no request or revision application has been received from MoC for review of this refusal of renewal.

The registration of Missionaries of Charity, registered under FCRA vide Registration No 147120001, was valid up to October 31, 2021. The ministry said that the validity was subsequently extended up to December 31, 2021, along with other FCRA Associations whose renewal applications were pending renewal. While considering the MoC’s renewal application, some adverse inputs were noticed, according to the central government.

“In consideration of these inputs on record, the renewal application of MoC was not approved. The FCRA registration of MoC was valid up-to 31st December 2021,” the release said.

“MHA did not freeze any accounts of MoC. State Bank of India has informed that MoC itself sent a request to SBI to freeze its accounts,” it added.