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NEW DELHI: Legal Rights Observatory (LRO) has raised fresh allegations about foreign funding received by radical leftist NGOs in India and retired judges’ association with organisations involved in public interest litigation. It has also approached the Enforcement Directorate (ED) seeking an investigation into funds disbursed by the US-based Thakur Family Foundation.
In a series of posts on X, LRO alleged that several retired judges had accepted positions in foreign-funded NGOs after leaving judicial office. It further claimed that details of many such appointments had disappeared from organisational websites following its disclosures.
One of the organisations named in the disclosures is the Socio-Legal Information Centre (SLIC), founded by Senior Advocate Colin Gonsalves, who also founded the Human Rights Law Network (HRLN).
A trustee list published on SLIC’s website on July 25, 2017, names former Bombay High Court judge Justice H. Suresh as its Chairperson and former Supreme Court judge Justice Deepak Verma as a member. Justice Suresh passed away in June 2020.
LRO has previously questioned the association of former judges with HRLN and sought an inquiry into whether such appointments could influence litigation involving the organisation. No finding establishing judicial interference has been identified in the material examined.
Another organisation highlighted by LRO is the Centre for Equity Studies (CES), associated with activist Harsh Mander. A governing board list circulated by LRO identified former Delhi High Court Chief Justice A.P. Shah as its President. The organisation’s presently accessible website continues to list Mander as Director but does not name Justice Shah on its governing board.
The controversy has also brought attention to the Thakur Family Foundation, headed by Dinesh Thakur. According to a compilation of American tax filings, the foundation awarded approximately $2.5 million through 278 grants to 188 recipients between 2020 and 2025.
Its own records acknowledge grants to the Centre for Equity Studies, including support for research concerning the Right to Information Act and civil liberties fellowships. The foundation has also supported journalists, media organisations, law universities and public-policy researchers.
Of particular interest is a grant recorded in September 2026 to researchers Christophe Jaffrelot and Gilles Verniers for a study titled Judicial Accountability and Ideological Networks in India. The foundation has publicly disclosed the purpose of the award.
LRO has alleged that foreign funding arrangements involving the foundation warrant scrutiny under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA). It has sought investigations by the ED, National Investigation Agency and Income Tax Department.
Section 3 of the FCRA prohibits serving judges, among other specified categories, from accepting foreign contributions.
The revised FCRA Rules notified in June 2026 require more detailed disclosures concerning foreign donors and the utilisation of contributions. With Parliament’s Joint Parliamentary Committee examining further amendments to the law, the records cited by LRO place renewed attention on the financial disclosures and governance arrangements of organisations engaged in litigation and public-policy advocacy.
