The Legal Rights Protection Forum (LRPF), a legal advocacy group, has filed a detailed complaint with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), flagging what it describes as serious violations of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 (FCRA) by the CFI Church based in Kakkanad, Ernakulam, Kerala, and its network of affiliated organisations spread across Bharat.
The complaint, submitted to officials of the MHA’s FCRA Division and copied to Home Ministry, alleges diversion of foreign contributions, the use of shell donor companies abroad, conflicts of interest, fictitious financial transactions, questionable land acquisitions, and the use of foreign funds for religious conversions, in violation of Section 12(4) of the FCRA.
Central Entity and Trustees
CFI Church, registered under FCRA No. 52850572, operates from Kakkanad, Ernakulam, Kerala, with trustees Thomas Mathew, Lucy Joseph Chacko, Siby Varghese, and Paulraj T.Y. While its base is in Kerala, LRPF alleges that the trust has expanded operations across multiple states through allied societies and trusts with overlapping office bearers, deliberately structured to avoid regulatory scrutiny.
Network of Allied Trusts
One such affiliate, CFI Charitable Trust, Odisha (FCRA No. 104840059), does not appear on the NGO Darpan portal, yet has been used for routing funds.
Another, CFI Charitable Trust, New Delhi (Darpan ID: DL/2018/0217507), based at J4/46, 2nd Floor, Malviya Nagar, Delhi – 110017, has no FCRA registration but allegedly operates illegally as a branch office of the Odisha trust. Its office bearers include Thomas Mathew, C.S. Joseph, and Shaji Thomas, all linked to CFICT in Kerala.
In Punjab, CFI Ministries (Darpan ID PB/2018/0217845), located at CFI Bhavan, Amarapuri Colony, Lalru, Mohali, functions without an FCRA licence. Despite this, it continues to operate within the network, with office bearers Reji M. Varghese, Shaji Thomas, M.C. Joseph, Saramma Joseph, Pearly Jose, Ms. Kavita Sounta, and Jacob Paul. The Ministry had earlier rejected its FCRA application due to its involvement in Christian conversion and religious conversions in Punjab.
The network also includes Ideal Education Society, Bhopal (Darpan ID MP/2018/0217829; FCRA No. 63160232) with office bearers Pearly Jose, P. Nair Preeti, Shaji Thomas, C.S. Joseph, and Reji Varghese; and New Life Development Society, Mainpuri, Uttar Pradesh (Darpan ID UP/2018/0217844; FCRA No. 136560005), with office bearers C.S. Joseph, Abraham Itty, Sinumol PJ, M.C. Joseph, Sunil S.N. Lal, P. Nair Preeti, and Mathew PJ. According to LRPF, these groups display the same pattern of overlapping personnel, pointing to a single, centrally controlled network.
Role of Shell Donor Companies
The complaint identifies foreign contributions largely coming from Progressive India LLC (Colorado, USA), Asia Voyager LLC (Colorado, USA), and Empart (headquartered in the USA with branches in the UK, Canada, Germany, France, and Australia). Both Progressive India LLC and Asia Voyager LLC were incorporated on the same date—26 July 2017—with the same registered agent and address in Colorado, which LRPF describes as a classic shell-company setup.
Further, Mr. Jossy Chacko, a trustee in India and simultaneously Chairman of Empart USA, has been named as a central figure in the network. LRPF alleges that this dual role creates a direct conflict of interest, with funds being routed from Empart into Indian trusts under his own management.
Questionable Transactions and Property Deals
The utilisation of foreign funds has raised serious red flags. Large sums have been spent on immovable properties in Bhopal, Amritsar, Ernakulam, Margao, and Shillong. Notably, land worth Rs 5.59 crore was purchased directly from trustee Jossy Chacko, which LRPF says is a case of self-dealing. Other suspicious land deals in Shillong reportedly involve sellers with PAN addresses listed as “Opposite Police Reserve,” suggesting fictitious transactions.
The accounts of CFICT also show alleged fictitious expenditures, including payments to a non-existent firm, M/s New Lie Printers. Unexplained advances rose sharply from Rs 16 lakh in AY 2018–19 to Rs 8.68 crore in AY 2019–20, which LRPF claims is evidence of financial layering.
Evidence of Religous Conversion
According to the LRPF, ground verification in Bhopal (Shankar Garden, Ayodhya Bypass) revealed that CFICT’s premises are being used for Bible distribution, religious conversions, and proselytisation activities, directly contravening Section 12(4) of the FCRA.
The complaint requests the MHA to conduct a comprehensive investigation into CFICT and all affiliated NGOs, verify the legality of foreign donors, scrutinise land purchases and related-party transactions, and confirm conversion-related activities. LRPF has also urged the government to suspend or cancel their FCRA registrations, freeze bank accounts, and prosecute trustees under the FCRA, the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), and other applicable laws.
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