In a preliminary hearing on Pillai’s arbitrary offloading, on January 11, Delhi High Court told government representatives that holding a different opinion to the government does not constitute being ‘anti-national’, and demanded an affidavit and court evidence to justify claims that Pillai was working against Indian national interest.
Indian democracy, the Court heard, was robust enough to accommodate different points of view. The case will be heard on February 18.
Samit Aich, Executive Director of Greenpeace India, said: “It has been almost a month since Priya was offloaded, and the government remains spectacularly unable to provide any valid reason or basis in law for their action. This was an undemocratic act, a complete violation of basic constitutional rights and a blatant attempt to suppress free speech. Greenpeace India works in defence of the environment that all Indians depend on; how is this anti-national? If this government is genuine about its promise of inclusive development, it needs to work with civil society rather than seek to suppress its voice.”
Pillai had been due to brief British MPs in London on coal mining but was barred from travelling, despite having the necessary visa and documentation, allegedly because her name figured on a ‘lookout circular’ issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs. Her passport was stamped with the word ‘Offload’ – an action that could scar the activist’s reputation and career, apart from being a potential violation of her rights seen as part of a crackdown against protesters by prime minister Nahendra Modi’s government.
Pillai and Greenpeace India have been supporting tribal villages in the Singrauli district of Madhya Pradesh opposed to the Mahan coal mine, which threatens a large forest area that many thousands depend on for their livelihoods. Prior to its de-allocation by the Supreme Court in the “coalgate” verdict, the Mahan coal block was allocated jointly to London registered Essar and Hindalco. The growing fight to stop the mine is believed to be the reason Pillai was singled out by the government as she was headed to the UK to give a presentation, which she instead delivered to British MPs over Skype.
Greenpeace India stands by Pillai and reiterates that the government’s offloading of Pillai was arbitrary and a suppression of her basic constitutional rights as an Indian citizen, and challenges the government to provide a legal justification for their action.
On January 20, the Delhi High Court blocked the Indian government’s move to stop the flow of funds from Greenpeace International to Greenpeace India, in response to a writ petition filed by the environmental watchdog. In June 2014, a leaked report from India’s Intelligence Bureau termed NGOs opposing the government’s energy policies as “acting against national interest” and suggested that action be taken against them, including blocking their access to overseas funding. The government has so far refused to officially accept or deny the IB report.
ENDS
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Anindita Datta Choudhury, Communication Specialist, +919871515804, 
Pari Trivedi, Communication Specialist, +919873495994, 
Jitendra Kumar, Communication Specialist, +919868167337, 
Avinash Kumar Chanchal, Communication Specialist, +918359826363, 