The Karnataka High Court has quashed the freezing of accounts of Greenpeace India by the Enforcement Directorate, holding the order of freezing to be null and void. Funding to the top international environmental watchdog was blocked following a raid by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) at its Bangalore office in October 2018.
In a setback to the ED move, not only has the High Court allowed funding of Greenpeace, it has directed immediate defreezing of Greenpeace India’s account.
Diya Deb, campaign director at Greenpeace India, has welcomed the Karnataka High Court's decision to unfreeze the bank accounts of Greenpeace India, saying, the decision not only strengthens its "belief in democractic values and constitutional propriety but also attests our stand that the organisation functions in accordance with Indian laws and for the benefit of society at large."
The campaigner adds, "We hope that the attempts to shut us down will continue to be thwarted by the Courts which recognize our Constitutional right to work for the benefit of environment and ecology”.
In its order, the Karnataka High Court observed that “the impugned notice dated October 5, 2018 has lost its efficacy on account of efflux of time as the period of 60 days has expired.” Thus, “the impugned order dated October 5, 2018 is hereby quashed and the writ petition is disposed of.”
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