'Did Nothing Wrong, Cooperated Fully': Centre for Policy Research After IT Raids

The Income Tax department had raided the offices of the think tank, along with Oxfam India and IPSMF, on Wednesday.

CPR office.

(Photo Courtesy: cprindia.org)

Two days after raids were conducted by the Income Tax Department at the Delhi premises of the Centre for Policy Research (CPR), the leading think tank on Friday, 9 September, said that while it has extended its full cooperation to the authorities, it believes that it has done nothing wrong.

"We hold ourselves to the highest standards of compliance and are confident that we have done nothing wrong. We are committed to working with the authorities to address any questions they might have," a statement released by the CPR said.

Apart from CPR, the I-T Department raided the offices of Oxfam India and the Independent and Public-Spirited Media Foundation (IPSMF) on Wednesday, 7 September.

"The Income Tax Department visited our office to undertake a survey of CPR on 7th and 8th September 2022. We have extended full cooperation to the department during the survey, and will continue to do so in the future," the CPR's statement read.

It also said that it had all the requisite approvals and was authorised by the government as a recipient under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act. 2010.

The think tank further asserted that its objective was to contribute to high quality scholarship, better policies, and a more robust public discourse through its "non-partisan" research.

The Raids

The raids at the office of the think tank were in connection with simultaneous searches in Haryana, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat, among other places, "over funding of more than 20 registered but non-recognised political parties," NDTV reported, quoting sources.

CPR's governing board is currently chaired by Meenakshi Gopinath, a political scientist who taught at Jawaharlal Nehru University and was a principal at Lady Shri Ram College for Women in New Delhi.

The president and chief executive of CPR is Yamini Aiyar. It was previously headed by popular academician Pratap Bhanu Mehta.

Started in 1973, CPR refers to itself as an "independent institution."

According to CPR's website, it has been recognised as a not-for-profit society by the Government of India and contributions to the think tank are tax-exempt.

(With inputs from NDTV.)