The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday, 11 July, raided the Mumbai and Delhi homes of senior SC advocates Indira Jaising and Anand Grover, over alleged violations of the Foreign Contributions Regulation Act 2010 (FCRA), and the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 (PC Act).
“Grover and I are being targeted for the human rights work that we have done over the years,” Indira Jaising said.
The agency had last month booked Grover and his NGO for alleged violation of rules in receiving foreign aid.
Many journalists, lawyers and activists reacted to the raid on Twitter, saying it was the government’s way of saying that dissent will not be tolerated.
One Twitter user said the raid is being conducted because “she (Jaising) always kept raising her voice against Modi and Amit Shah”.
Lawyer Prashant Bhushan said it is a “clear act of vendetta”. “Registration of cases and raids by Govt agencies has now become the way of govt to harass and intimidate opponents,” he tweeted.
Journalist Rajdeep Sardesai and other Twitter users agreed with this thought.
“Indira Jaisingh and Anand Grover, amongst the finest public spirited lawyers who have fought all their lives against the powerful are being raided by CBI, and many who are manifestly corrupt remain immune from scrutiny,” tweeted Sardesai.
A few Twitter users said the raid signals that no dissent will be tolerated.
“This is what you get in Modi’s New India if you fight for human rights,” said academic Ashok Swain.
“Will the CBI get more serious and hunt down criminals likely misusing hundreds of crores in Karnataka and Goa,” asked Congress spokesperson Salman Anees Soz.
Both Jaising and Grover have fought many cases on issues like gender justice, access to healthcare and more.
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