Shillong, April 04: The Christians Community 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 all India Catholic Union, 107 years old and the largest Laity national confederation in Asia, therefore calls 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.
These asset and institutions have been built over the decades and centuries by the community with its own money and assistance from fellow christians across the globe, without government funds. These are meant for, and are being utilised in, essential humanitarian, educational, healthcare, and spiritual endeavours among the people of this nation including regions where there are no government facilities.
The Government attempts to contain and erode them will hurt the Indian people, AICU National President Er Elias Vaz said. Mere withholding or deferral of the said Bill, seemingly calibrated to the electoral calendar in Kerala and other states, offers neither relief nor satisfaction to the community.
Such a temporary suspension would constitute nothing more than political expediency, revealing a tactical approach rather than a principled adherence to constitutional values. It treats the profound and legitimate concerns of a significant section of Indian citizenry as a matter to be managed for electoral convenience.
The All India Catholic Union rejects this approach in the strongest terms. Partial or provisional measures serve only to erode public trust with the government’s Damocles sword perpetually hanging over the autonomy and dignity of religious institutions.
The FCRA Bill, introduced in the Lok Sabha on 25 March 2026, seeks to empower a “designated authority” with sweeping powers to seize, manage, or dispose of the assets and funds of any organisation registered under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, including churches, educational institutions, hospitals, orphanages, and charitable trusts,upon cancellation, suspension, or non-renewal of registration.
This provision is not a routine regulatory adjustment but represents an extraordinary encroachment upon the rights enshrined in Article 26 of the Constitution, which guarantees to every religious denomination the right to manage its own affairs in matters of religion and to administer its property in accordance with law.
From a constitutional perspective, the proposed amendments raise grave concerns regarding compatibility with Articles 25, 26, 29, and 30, which collectively safeguard freedom of conscience, religious autonomy, cultural and educational rights of minorities, and the independence of minority institutions.
The State cannot assume managerial control over religious or denominational property under the pretext of regulation. The Christian community has consistently demonstrated its commitment to transparency and compliance with regulatory frameworks, including the FCRA. Nevertheless, the pattern of enforcement since 2014 has raised serious questions of selective application.
Successive amendments and widespread cancellations of licences have disproportionately affected organisations engaged in education, healthcare, and social service, creating an environment of uncertainty and constraint. This development must be viewed against the broader record of the BJP-led Government since assuming power at the Centre in 2014.
That record, with respect to the rights of religious minorities including Christians, has been characterised by the weaponisation of laws, the propagation of calumny, the deployment of dog-whistle rhetoric, the encouragement of targeted hate campaigns, and a consistent institutional silence in the face of violence.
Anti-conversion laws in several states have been invoked to harass clergy and lay workers on frivolous pretexts. Narratives of “foreign conspiracy” and “mass conversions” have been amplified through various channels. Senior functionaries have at times employed language that appears designed to signal tolerance for aggressive majoritarian impulses.
The consequences have been dire. Independent monitors and community fact-finding exercises have recorded over 700 incidents of targeted persecution against Christians in 2025 alone, among them lynchings and ghastly cases of bodies being exhumed, and graves desecrated.
The Christmas season of 2025 was particularly alarming, with at least 150 verified cases involving disruption of worship, vandalism of property, physical assaults on believers, and threats to religious leaders across multiple states. In numerous instances, local authorities either failed to intervene or, more disturbingly, appeared to align with the aggressors.
The absence of strong condemnation or decisive action from the national leadership has compounded the sense of vulnerability and injustice. This recurring pattern from earlier episodes of communal violence to recent events in various regions cannot be dismissed as isolated aberrations. There is a systemic failure to uphold the equal protection of laws.
The All India Catholic Union reminds government of the community’s contribution to nation building for generations producing distinguished writers, sportspersons, and professionals in science, medicine, education, public service, and the defence forces, while responding selflessly to every national emergency. Christian institutions have facilitated social mobility and human development without precondition or discrimination.
Any effort to restrict or control this work is not merely an infringement upon one community; it imperils the pluralistic social fabric that has defined India’s civilisational strength. The All India Catholic Union places before the Government , The immediate and complete withdrawal of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, without any reintroduction in the same or modified form.
A formal, unambiguous assurance, preferably articulated in Parliament, that no future legislative, administrative, or other measures will be initiated to target or appropriate Church assets and institutions or to restrict the lawful exercise of religious freedom and associated charitable activities.
A time-bound, independent review of all FCRA-related actions affecting more than 6,000 Christian organisations since 2014, with appropriate restoration in cases lacking evidence of financial impropriety.
Effective and demonstrable steps to address hate speech, ensure swift prosecution of those responsible for violence against religious minorities, and establish a robust statutory mechanism for monitoring and redressal of communal incidents.
The commencement of structured, meaningful dialogue with Christian leadership, including the AICU, on all issues pertaining to minority rights and institutional autonomy.
