The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said on December 27 that it did not freeze any bank account of Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity. According to MHA, the State Bank of India has informed that the missionary itself had requested the bank to freeze its account.

A statement released by the MHA read: “The Ministry of Home Affairs didn’t freeze any accounts of Missionaries of Charity (MoC). State Bank of India (SBI) has informed that MoC itself sent a request to SBI to freeze its accounts.”

The MHA further said that MoC’s registration renewal application under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) was refused on December 25 as it did not meet the eligibility criteria under FCRA 2010 and Foreign Contribution Regulation Rules (FCRR), 2011.

“No request/revision application has been received from Missionaries of Charity for review of refusal of renewal,” the MHA added.

The Home Ministry further said: “Missionaries of Charity was registered under FCRA vide Registration No 147120001 and its registration was valid up to 31 Oct 2021. The validity was subsequently extended up to 31 Dec 2021 along with other FCRA Associations whose renewal application were pending renewal.”

“However, while considering the MoC’s renewal application, some adverse inputs were noticed. In consideration of these inputs on record, the renewal application of MoC was not approved. The FCRA registration of MoC was valid up to 31st December 2021. MHA did not freeze any accounts of MoC. State Bank of India has informed that MoC itself sent a request to SBI to freeze its accounts.”

The clarification was issued by the Centre after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee earlier in the day claimed that 22,000 patients and employees of the charity are now without food and medicines because the Government of India has frozen all bank accounts of the missionaries.

The Bengal CM tweeted: “Shocked to hear that on Christmas, Union Ministry FROZE ALL BANK ACCOUNTS of Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity in India! Their 22,000 patients & employees have been left without food and medicines. While the law is paramount, humanitarian efforts must not be compromised.”