The Home Office has moved out 3 out of 5 officers from the division hit by bribery allegations

Days after two government officials were arrested by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police on September 28 for allegedly seeking bribes for processing registrations under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) repatriated three of the five senior officers of Foreigner Division II to their parent cadre.

FCRA registration is mandatory for NGOs to receive foreign funding. The Aliens Division under the MHA deals with matters related to FCRA registration, renewal, suspension and cancellation.

Joint Director Saurabh Bansal and Deputy Director Ayush Bansal, who were posted in Foreigners-II Division and both belonging to the Indian Cost Accounts Service (ICAS), have been repatriated to their parent cadres, according to the MHA order issued on October 1.

Another official, Rajesh Kumar T, an ICAS officer posted as Assistant Secretary in Foreigners Division-II, has been “surrendered” to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) for “early repatriation” to his parent cadre, according to an October 2 order.

According to an earlier statement by the MHA, the arrests were made in coordination with central agencies. The two officials who were arrested, one serving as chief accountant and the other as accountant, are accused of approaching the association and seeking illegal gratification in exchange for facilitating its pending FCRA registration.

The statement said that one of the accused is currently housed in the Department of Foreigners. The second officer is currently posted in the Payroll and Accounts Department, but previously served in the Foreigners Department. Preliminary interrogation revealed that the two officials were allegedly in touch with various associations and offered help in securing FCRA registrations and their renewals in return for illegal payments. Investigators are examining the scope of their activity and whether other subjects could have participated in it.

This is not the first time that the foreign wing of the MHA has come under cloud for corrupt activities.

In 2022, the MHA identified at least three consultants who were offering various FCRA-related services to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) after obtaining confidential details from ministry officials. The alleged scam, in collaboration with former and current MHA officials, had been going on for over six months and was being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

In 2016, based on a complaint by the MHA, the CBI raided the residence of Home Ministry official Anand Joshi for his alleged role in corrupt practices and leaving with files related to foreign fund violations by social activist Teesta Setalvad. The accused had arbitrarily issued a notice to environmentalist Sunita Narain’s Center for Science and Environment (CSE) in November 2015. A CBI official said Mr Joshi had come under the scanner after he arbitrarily issued standard questionnaires to 20 odd NGOs, the first step to probe foreign fund violations under the FCRA.

Following allegations of corruption, the MHA switched to an online renewal system for FCRA-registered NGOs in 2016 to reduce the human interface after several NGOs complained of bribes demanded by officials to renew their registration. Renewals are done every five years.

Published – 06 Oct 2026 22:33 IST