Delhi HC directs Centre to unblock Greenpeace funds

New Delhi, Jan 20: The Delhi High Court Tuesday asked the central government to unblock around Rs. 1.87 crore of the environmental NGO Greenpeace India that has been frozen. The funds were blocked by the Reserve Bank of India following a June 2014 home ministry directive that the NGO challenged in court. Noting that the home ministry's action was arbitrary, illegal and unconstitutional, Justice Rajiv Shakdher observed the government had replied that the NGO could access all foreign funds except that of Greenpeace International, which has been put on a watch-list. The court also observed that no material was put on record against Greenpeace International. It said that NGOs are entitled to their viewpoint and merely because this might not be in consonance with that of the government's, it didn't that the NGO is acting against national interests.