Greenpeace India Society has just received notice from the Tamil Nadu Registrar of Societies, summarily announcing cancellation of its registration as a society. While several international leaders, including the United Nations Secretary General have recently upheld the importance of civil society in healthy democracies, this notice is the latest assault on free speech in India. Over the last 18 months, Greenpeace India has endured repeated attempts at suppression through different government authorities, and prepares yet again to seek legal redress.

Its registration as a society has been cancelled by Registrar of Societies in Tamil Nadu, Greenpeace India said the NDA government’s clumsy tactics to suppress free speech was turning into a national and international embarrassment. The NGOs fresh notice of cancellation of its registration was an extension of the deep intolerance for differing viewpoints which the government was harbouring and asserted that it would again seek legal redress.

Greenpeace India Society has just received notice from the Tamil Nadu Registrar of Societies, summarily announcing cancellation of its registration as a society. This shows no respect for the law. We are confident that we are on strong legal ground. We have faith in the legal process and are confident of overcoming this order, she said. It can be mentioned here that the Union home ministry had recently told Delhi high court that it cancelled the foreign contribution registration of the NGO as it was continuing to use its Foreign Contribution Registration Act (FCRA) accounts.

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