Home News National Name Change, Same Scam: Complaint Filed Against Gospel For Tribals Social Service...

Name Change, Same Scam: Complaint Filed Against Gospel For Tribals Social Service Society Missionary NGO For ₹27 Crore Fraud & Religious Conversion Agenda

By
The Commune
-

A formal complaint has been submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and FCRA Division regarding alleged large-scale violations of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 (FCRA) by the NGO Grace Service Society, formerly known as Gospel for Tribals Social Service Society. The complaint, filed by NGO watchdog Legal Rights Protection Forum, highlights serious misuse of foreign contributions, diversion of funds for religious conversion campaigns, and large-scale financial fraud.

 

The NGO operates from Khammam (Rural), Telangana. The complaint recalls that on 13 May 2020, concerns were raised with the Ministry that foreign donations were being diverted to establish commercial poultry layer farms, violating Section 8(1)(a) of the FCRA and the stated objectives of the NGO.

The complaint alleges that income from these commercial activities funded Christian religious conversion campaigns and church planting. It also cites numerous speeches by Chief Functionary Bishop Jacob Marineni in India and abroad that allegedly malign Hindu and tribal cultural practices while projecting a false image of persecution of Christians to secure foreign donations.

Despite the evidence presented, the complaint notes that no decisive action has been taken, and the society changed its name from Gospel for Tribals Social Service Society to Grace Service Society, allegedly to obscure its targeted conversion activities among tribal communities.

On 15 March 2023, the Income Tax Department conducted a search and seizure operation under Section 132, supervised by Shri Karthik Manickam M, Additional CIT, Central Range-3, Hyderabad. The operation reportedly uncovered large-scale financial fraud. At Grace Children School, Koheda, over ₹56 lakhs in fees for FY 2021–22 was collected, but only ₹8 lakhs were disclosed, suppressing the remaining amount. Bogus invoices generated unaccounted cash of over ₹3 crores. The investigation identified associated entities involved in suppression of income and undisclosed investments totaling over ₹27 crores.

The complaint also details alleged diversion of foreign contributions intended for educational and social purposes toward constructing churches, training religious preachers, carrying out inducement-based conversions, acquiring immovable property, and funding commercial ventures, with minimal expenditure on orphans, widows, leprosy patients, or the elderly.

The complainants argue that these actions fall under Section 9(e)(ii), (iv), and (v) of the FCRA Act, as they allegedly violate public interest, affect India’s foreign relations by projecting false persecution narratives, and threaten inter-religious harmony.

In light of these allegations, the complaint requests the Ministry to inspect orphanages and institutions purportedly run by the NGO, freeze all bank accounts and halt foreign contribution inflows, prohibit sale or transfer of assets acquired with FCRA funds, including commercial poultry farms, restrict permitted FCRA funds strictly to orphanages and educational institutions, conduct a forensic audit of accounts for the past 15 years, including Bishop Jacob Marineni, his family, and associates, prosecute executives for inducement-based conversions, filing false declarations, and diversion of foreign funds and cancel the NGO’s FCRA registration for repeated violations.

Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR