MoC itself sent a request to SBI to freeze its accounts, the ministry said

The Ministry of Home Affairs has denied claims that it has frozen bank accounts of the Missionaries of Charity (MoC), the organisation founded by Mother Teresa.

The Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) registration of MoC was valid up to December 31, 2021, the ministry added.

"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," the ministry said in a statement on Monday evening.

Earlier in the day, Trinamool Congress leader and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had expressed shock at reports that the government had frozen Missionaries of Charity's bank accounts.

"Shocked to hear that on Christmas, Union Ministry FROZE ALL BANK ACCOUNTS of Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity in India! Their 22,000 patients and employees have been left without food and medicines. While the law is paramount, humanitarian efforts must not be compromised," she tweeted.

Denying this claim, the home ministry clarified that the renewal application under Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) for the renewal of FCRA registration of Missionaries of Charity (MoC) was refused on 25 Dec 2021 "for not meeting the eligibility conditions under FCRA 2010 and Foreign Contribution Regulation Rules (FCRR) 2011".

No request / revision application has been received from Missionaries of Charity (MoC) for review of this refusal of renewal, it added.

According to the MHA, Missionaries of Charity (MoC) was registered under FCRA vide Registration No 147120001 and its registration was valid up-to 31 Oct 2021. The validity was subsequently extended up to 31 Dec 2021 along with other FCRA Associations whose renewal application were pending renewal, it pointed out.

"However, while considering the MoC's renewal application, some adverse inputs were noticed. In consideration of these inputs on record, the renewal application of MoC was not approved," the home ministry said.