AICU demands scrapping of FCRA Amendment Bill, alleges minority targeting
The All India Catholic Union has demanded the complete withdrawal of the FCRA Amendment Bill, alleging it targets minorities and infringes constitutional rights. The body also called for assurances, policy review and stronger action against violence and discrimination
New Delhi: The All India Catholic Union (AICU) on Friday demanded the complete withdrawal of the FCRA Amendment Bill and said the Christian community “cannot be fully satisfied” until it is scrapped entirely.
The union said in a press statement: “With its memory of government intransigence and political perfidy, the Christian community cannot be fully satisfied until the Union government withdraws the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, in its entirety from both Houses of Parliament.” The 107-year-old body, which is the largest laity national confederation in Asia, called upon the government to give “explicit, unequivocal and written assurances that there shall be no future attempts — whether through legislation, administrative action or any other means — to usurp the assets and institutions of the Church or to circumscribe, in any form, the religious freedom guaranteed under the Constitution of India”.
AICU national president Er Elias Vaz said institutions built by the community over decades “are meant for humanitarian, educational, healthcare and spiritual endeavours,” and warned that “government attempts to contain and erode them will hurt the Indian people”.
The union said merely deferring the Bill would not address concerns. “Mere withholding or deferring the said Bill, seemingly calibrated to the electoral calendar in Kerala and other states, offers neither relief nor satisfaction to the community,” it said, adding that temporary suspension would constitute “nothing more than political expediency, revealing a tactical approach rather than a principled adherence to constitutional values”.
The proposed amendments, introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 25, seek to empower a “designated authority” to seize, manage or dispose of assets of organisations registered under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), 2010, in cases of cancellation or suspension of registration.
Calling the provision an “extraordinary encroachment”, the AICU said it violates constitutional protections under Articles 25, 26, 29 and 30. “The state cannot assume managerial control over religious or denominational property under the pretext of regulation,” it said.
The statement also flagged what it described as a pattern of “selective application” of FCRA rules since 2014, alleging that cancellations have disproportionately affected institutions engaged in education, healthcare and social service.
Referring to the broader situation of minorities, the AICU claimed there had been “over 700 incidents of targeted persecution against Christians in 2025 alone”, adding that the Christmas season saw “at least 150 verified cases involving disruption of worship, vandalism and physical assaults”.
“In numerous instances, local authorities either failed to intervene or appeared to align with the aggressors,” it alleged, adding that the absence of strong action had “compounded the sense of vulnerability and injustice”.
The organisation placed a set of demands before the government, including the immediate withdrawal of the Bill, a formal assurance against future measures targeting Church institutions, and a “time-bound, independent review” of FCRA actions affecting more than 6,000 Christian organisations since 2014.
It also called for “effective and demonstrable steps” to address hate speech and violence against minorities, and for structured dialogue with Christian leadership on issues of rights and institutional autonomy.
