Satat Sampada said in a statement late on Wednesday it had fully cooperated with India's top financial crimes agency, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which carried out searches on Monday of the organisation's offices and the home of its co-founders, climate activist Harjeet Singh and his wife Jyoti Awasthi.

The ED said Singh had been detained by the Uttar Pradesh state excise department in connection with the seizure of liquor exceeding permissible limits. Satat Sampada said he had been granted bail, without sharing details of the charges.

The ED has alleged that the company received more than $666,000 in foreign remittances between 2021 and 2025 under the "garb" of consultancy fees.

Instead, the ED alleged, the funds were used to promote the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty (FF-NPT), a proposed international agreement to phase out fossil fuel production.

"While presented as a climate initiative, its (FF-NPT) adoption could expose India to legal challenges in international forums like the International Court of Justice and severely compromise the nation's energy security and economic development," an ED statement said.

It also alleged that the company functioned as a front for foreign-influenced activism and that some funds were diverted for personal use.

"We categorically state that the allegations being reported are baseless, biased and misleading", Satat Sampada said in the statement.

The company also rejected scrutiny of Singh's visits to countries that have tensions with India, including neighbouring arch-rival Pakistan, saying he had travelled internationally for over two decades to attend climate conferences and policy forums in a professional capacity.

The Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative, an international civil society campaign that backs the FF-NPT, issued a statement following the raids.

"In light of recent allegations concerning Harjeet Singh's work as advisor to the Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative, we reiterate that our work consists of building mechanisms for just, orderly and equitable energy transitions," it said in a statement.

uzm/pjm/ceg

FOSSIL GROUP