Indian gov’t delays foreign donations bill after concern from Christian leaders
Quick Summary
- Indian government postpones foreign donations bill amid protests from church leaders.
- The Foreign Contribution Regulation Amendment Bill 2026 was scheduled for debate in Parliament.
- Opposition highlights concerns over potential misuse of authority.
India’s government has postponed a proposed amendment to the country’s foreign donations law until July after opposition protests in Parliament and public pushback from Christian leaders.
The Foreign Contribution Regulation Amendment Bill 2026, approved by India’s federal cabinet earlier this month, was scheduled for debate in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament, last Wednesday.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the bill could not be taken up because Congress and Communist Party leaders “misled the people of Kerala in view of the elections,” India Today reported.
State elections are scheduled for Thursday in the southern state of Kerala, with results due May 4. Christians make up nearly 20% of Kerala’s population, compared with the national average of 2.3%.
The bill would have created a government-appointed authority with powers to take over assets, including land and buildings, purchased through foreign donations if an organization’s registration to receive such funds expired, was canceled or surrendered.
The measure also introduced timelines for the receipt and use of foreign contributions and a mechanism for cessation of registration upon expiry or refusal of renewal. The government said the bill is intended to stop the misuse of foreign funds and close loopholes in existing law.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India sent a protest letter to Interior Minister Amit Shah last Tuesday, calling for the bill to be referred to a parliamentary standing committee for wider consultation, EWTN News reported.
The conference argued it was essential “to ensure that administrative lapses do not lead to disproportionate penalties such as asset seizure.”
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India called the measure “dangerous, undemocratic, unconstitutional and contrary to principles of natural justice.”
The Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council held an emergency online meeting the same day and wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing “deep concern regarding certain provisions” of the bill.
The council cautioned that the amendments “may create possibilities for misuse of authority, which could adversely impact many voluntary organizations, nongovernmental organizations and auxiliary institutions, including places of worship, that have been established over decades for public service, irrespective of caste or religion.”
Kerala’s ruling Communist Party and opposition left-of-center Congress joined senior bishops, including those from the Orthodox Church and the Syro-Malabar Church, in labeling the amendment “draconian, barbaric and undemocratic.”
Political observer Joseph C. Mathew attributed the postponement to church pressure. He said the bill has been put on hold “because of the backlash from Christian bishops in Kerala,” as quoted by India Today.
Father Thomas Tharayil, deputy secretary of the Kerala bishops, said that licenses of several dioceses, congregations and charitable organizations had been “canceled without any proper reason.”
He welcomed the postponement, saying it would “certainly provide an opportunity to address our concerns.”
The All India Christian Council said the proposed changes amounted to a move to take away Christian properties meant for the development of marginalized communities, including Dalits and tribal peoples, calling it a “dangerous and deeply alarming crisis with immediate and potentially irreversible consequences.”
Council President Joseph D’Souza said authorities were continuing the alienation of properties in the name of foreign donations law enforcement.
Father Cedric Prakash, a Jesuit human rights activist based in the western state of Gujarat, said the proposal would move the government from administrative oversight to direct control of civil society organizations, warning that poor people would be the biggest losers.
Since the BJP came to power in 2014, thousands of licenses of church and Christian social action groups have been canceled or not renewed.
Government data show that 14,994 groups are currently registered to receive foreign contributions, while 21,954 have had registrations canceled, and about 15,174 are deemed expired.
Organizations that have lost registration include World Vision, Compassion International, Church Auxiliary for Social Action and the Evangelical Fellowship of India.
In its 2026 report released last month, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom urged the State Department to designate India as a “country of particular concern,” citing systematic and ongoing violations of religious freedom.
