Indian authorities are investigating a prominent climate activist for allegedly using foreign funds to further an anti-fossil fuel agenda.
Harjeet Singh, a founding director of the Satat Sampada Climate Foundation, said in a statement that he had been arrested on Jan. 5 after law enforcement officials searched his residence. He is currently out on bail.
The search was part of an ongoing investigation into whether Singh received 60 million rupees ($667,500) between 2021 and 2025 from international organizations such as Climate Action Network and Stand.Earth, according to a statement from the authorities. However, Singh was arrested for an unrelated offense: an amount of liquor found in his home that violated local restrictions.
According to the government, the foreign funds Singh is suspected of receiving were intended to promote the Fossil Fuel Non Proliferation Treaty. The proposed international agreement seeks to end coal, oil and gas expansion and manage a global phaseout of the fuels. It is currently endorsed by 18 countries.
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While India is rapidly expanding its renewable fleet, the country is also tapping into its vast coal resources to strengthen energy security and reduce fuel imports. The government is considering a plan to expand its coal capacity to 420 gigawatts by 2047, a 87% rise from now that could thwart the country’s net zero ambitions, Bloomberg reported in December.
The adoption of the proposed treaty “could expose India to legal challenges in international forums like the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and severely compromise the nation’s energy security and economic development,” the Directorate of Enforcement, which conducted the search, said in its statement announcing Singh’s arrest.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Finance, which oversees the Directorate of Enforcement, didn’t immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
When reached by phone, Singh said he could not comment on the liquor violation, but called the other allegations “biased and baseless.” He said he had never lobbied for India to join the Fossil Fuel Non Proliferation Treaty. The accusations “disregard years of advocacy on behalf of India and other developing nations,” he said.