The Union Home Ministry suspended the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) licence of India Rural Evangelical Fellowship (IREF), a Christian missionary organisation based in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, following serious allegations of religious conversions, fund diversion, and regulatory violations.
The action comes after multiple complaints filed since 2020 by legal activist groups, including the Legal Rights Protection Forum (LRPF) and Legal Rights Observatory (LRO), which accused IREF of misusing foreign donations to convert tribal and rural communities in Andhra Pradesh.
Finally, the Govt suspended the FCRA license of India Rural Evangelical Fellowship (IREF), one of the largest Christian conversion agencies in AP for:
🔸 ₹28.67 Cr foreign funds diverted
🔸 Money sent to personal accounts of office-bearer
🔸 Facilitating foreign missionaries https://t.co/EvgTwrjQ6c— Legal Rights Protection Forum (@lawinforce) September 15, 2025
According to the Ministry’s findings, nearly ₹28.67 crore of foreign contributions were diverted, with part of the funds allegedly routed to personal accounts of office-bearers. The organisation also allegedly facilitated the entry of foreign missionaries in violation of FCRA norms.
The LRO’s then complaint highlighted that IREF’s by-laws registered in the United States and United Kingdom, openly declared evangelisation as a core mission. Its Illinois incorporation papers stated objectives such as “to promote the gospel message of Christianity within the state of Andhra Pradesh, to establish and maintain churches and schools, and to provide support to pastors and evangelists.” A similar clause appeared in IREF’s registered UK charity, which cited “the advancement of the Christian faith” among the people of Andhra Pradesh.
Activists argued that such declarations effectively amounted to a formal agreement to evangelise India, contravening Section 23 of the Indian Contract Act and violating India’s secular constitutional framework.
Evidence submitted included:
- Proselytisation drives: IREF employed over 200 evangelists and “Bible ladies” to visit remote villages, offering “free education with boarding” to children of non-Christian families, who were then trained to become missionaries.
- Church planting: The organisation invited donors to support “unreached villages,” openly claiming to have grown congregations and constructed churches.
- Slander of other religions: On its website, IREF accused Hindu organisations of persecuting Christians, statements that LRO said violated Sections 295A and 298 of the IPC and provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
- Financial irregularities: Between 2018–2020, IREF reportedly received over ₹11–14 crore each quarter exclusively from its US and UK affiliates, with significant sums diverted to immovable assets and non-charitable uses.
The complaints also cited the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in Rev. Stanislaus v. State of Madhya Pradesh (1977), which held that while Article 25 guarantees freedom of conscience, it does not grant a fundamental right to convert others.
In light of these findings, the Home Ministry ordered the cancellation of IREF’s FCRA licence, effectively barring it from receiving foreign donations.
This move follows the government’s broader crackdown on NGOs accused of violating FCRA provisions. In 2024, the Ministry also revoked the licences of five other prominent NGOs including the CNI Synodical Board of Social Service, Voluntary Health Association of India, Indo-Global Social Service Society, CASA, and Evangelical Fellowship of India over similar allegations of misuse of foreign grants and religious conversion activities.
Officials said investigations are ongoing into IREF’s financial dealings and its president, Rebba Emmanuel.
(With inputs from Business Standard)
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