Indian authorities have arrested prominent environmental campaigner Harjeet Singh and his wife, Jyoti Aswati, following a police raid on their home in Delhi. The action is part of an investigation into alleged foreign funding used to promote a campaign against fossil fuels, which officials claim threatens India's national interest.
Allegations of Foreign Funding and National Security
India's Enforcement Directorate (ED), a financial crime agency under the finance ministry, carried out searches at properties linked to the couple's organisation, Satat Sampada (Nature Forever). The ED alleges the group received nearly £500,000 in suspicious foreign remittances, masked as consultancy fees, from climate campaign groups.
According to the agency, these funds were ultimately intended to promote the agenda of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty (FFNPT) within India. The ED stated that while presented as a climate initiative, adopting such a treaty could expose India to legal challenges in international courts like the ICJ and severely compromise the nation's energy security and economic development.
The International Campaign and Local Backlash
The FFNPT Initiative is a global campaign advocating for a treaty to stop new fossil fuel exploration and phase out existing use. It has been endorsed by 17 national governments, including Vanuatu and Tuvalu, the World Health Organization, and the European Parliament.
However, the ED accuses Singh and Aswati of using Satat Sampada as a front. The agency claims the organisation publicly marketed organic produce while its primary activity was channelling foreign funds to advance the FFNPT cause in India on behalf of foreign groups.
During the raid, ED officers reported finding a large cache of whiskey above legal limits at the Delhi residence. Local police were informed, leading to Singh's arrest and subsequent bail on Monday night. The ED is also investigating trips Singh made to Pakistan and Bangladesh last year.
Activists' Defence and Wider Context
In a statement, Singh and Aswati said they were prevented from sharing case details for legal reasons but categorically denied the allegations, calling them baseless, biased and misleading. They stated that Satat Sampada was founded in 2016 using their savings and home loans, and consultancy work grew after Singh left full-time employment in 2021.
Singh is a well-known figure at UN climate summits (COP), with over two decades of work for NGOs like ActionAid and the Climate Action Network. The case occurs amid a broader crackdown on civil society in India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with nearly 17,000 licences for foreign funding suspended.
The Hindustan Times quoted unnamed ED officers suggesting the probe began based on intelligence from COP30 in Belém, Brazil, in November 2023. Other activists whose campaigns may be inimical to India's energy security are also reportedly under investigation.
