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The Uttar Pradesh excise department arrested prominent climate activist Harjeet Singh on Tuesday for allegedly keeping “extra” liquor at his home. The arrest came a day after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) searched in connection with a distant places commerce violation case, animated the alleged misuse of ₹6 crore got from abroad and activities aimed at legend-building for distant places influencer groups, the company said, as reported by PTI.
On the opposite hand, in an interview with Newslaundry on Wednesday, Singh denied the ED’s claims that he influenced government choices. He said, “I haven’t labored with the federal government,” and added that officers had misunderstood civil society’s stance on climate commerce.
He described the federal government’s stance as a failure to label civil society. “Unfortunately, the Indian government is unable to label the level of intention of civil society and activists like us, who’re in actuality based totally totally on what the federal government is saying,” said Singh, as reported by Newslaundry.
Satat Sampada, the organisation speed by climate activist Harjeet Singh and his partner, said the Enforcement Directorate’s allegations in opposition to the firm and its founder had been baseless, biased and deceptive, PTI reported.
The federal company on January 5 implemented searches on the company’s office as smartly as the couple’s enviornment as share of an investigation beneath the Foreign places Alternate Management Act (FEMA).
In a press liberate to PTI, Satat Sampada said that it became once constrained to portion extra crucial components on this action “as the matter became once subjudice”.
“We categorically state that the allegations being reported are baseless, biased, and misleading,” it said.
The ED said it came upon Indian liquor and IMFL (Indian Made Foreign places Liquor) “beyond permissible limits” (about ₹forty five litres) throughout the Monday searches at his enviornment in Ghaziabad because it shared pictures of brands like Chivas 12 and Glenmorangie in the press assertion.
It said the information became once shared with local excise authorities who seized the surplus liquor and arrested Singh for “contravention” of the UP negate excise legal pointers.
The ED said its probe came upon that while SSPL “projects” itself as an agro-based totally totally company engaged in promoting organic farming and marketing organic establish, it became once perfect a “front” relate.
“The company’s fundamental relate appears to be like to be channelling distant places funds to speed narratives furthering the FF-NPT (the Fossil Gas Non-Proliferation Treaty) negate off in India on behalf of distant places influencer groups,” the ED claimed.
The FF-NPT is a proposed world treaty aiming to share out fossil gasoline manufacturing.
It added that the monetary trajectory of SSPL came upon that before 2020-21, the company operated at a loss with minimal consultancy earnings.
Submit-2021, coinciding with the receipt of over ₹6.5 crore in distant places remittances, SSPL grew to turn into winning by reserving these funds as earnings from “consultancy services” and “agro-product gross sales.” The shareholders of SSPL, Harjeet Singh and Jyoti Awasthi, “diverted” funds got from distant places NGOs to their deepest accounts for non-public relate, the federal probe company said.
The ED said while FF-NPT is equipped as a climate initiative, its adoption will also describe India to appropriate challenges in world boards just like the Global Court docket of Justice (ICJ) and severely compromise the nation’s energy security and financial vogue, PTI reported.
It became once moreover alleged by the ED that the ₹6 crore remittances had been got by SSPL between 2021-25 in the garb of “consultancy” expenses from distant places entities including Local weather Action Community (CAN) and STAND.EARTH etc., which contain in-flip got huge funds from prior reference category NGOs like Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.
On the opposite hand, outrageous-verification of filings made by the remitters abroad means that the funds had been in actuality meant to advertise the agenda of the FF-NPT interior India, it said.
The ED said the couple, beforehand engaged with Local weather Action Community South Asia (CANSA), used SSPL to “draw” their activism.
The company said it became once investigating Singh’s visit to Pakistan in February 2025 for the ‘Breathe Pakistan Summit’ and the various contributors he met there.
It added that he moreover travelled to Bangladesh in December 2025 when “anti-India” protests had been being held in the neighbouring country and delivered a lecture on the Sher-e-Bangla University with none official invitation and met varied contributors “unconnected” to the said cause.
The funding for these journeys is moreover beneath scrutiny, the ED said.
“The agency is investigating the full extent of the suspected violations of FEMA and whether the activities funded were against the national interest, specifically India’s energy security.
“Further investigation into the monetary shuffle, the feature of the distant places funding entities, and the activities of the administrators is beneath development,” it said.
(With inputs from PTI)
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