Foreign contribution through scheduled bank
Section 17 of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 deals with foreign contribution through scheduled bank. Every person who has been granted certificate or prior permission under section 12 shall receive foreign contribution only in an account designated as "FCRA Account" by the bank, which shall be opened by him for the purpose of remittances of foreign contribution in such branch of the State Bank of I The Act came into force on 01 May 2011.
1[17. Foreign contribution through scheduled bank.--(1) Every person who has been granted certificate or prior permission under section 12 shall receive foreign contribution only in an account designated as "FCRA Account" by the bank, which shall be opened by him for the purpose of remittances of foreign contribution in such branch of the State Bank of India at New Delhi, as the Central Government may, by notification, specify in this behalf:
Provided that such person may also open another"FCRA Account" in any of the scheduled bank of his choice for the purpose of keeping or utilising the foreign contribution which has been received from his "FCRA Account" in the specified branch of State Bank of India at New Delhi:
Provided further that such person may also open one or more accounts in one or more scheduled banks of his choice to which he may transfer for utilising any foreign contribution received by him in his "FCRA Account" in the specified branch of the State Bank of India at New Delhi or kept by him in another "FCRA Account" in a scheduled bank of his choice:
Provided also that no funds other than foreign contribution shall be received or deposited in any such account.
(2) The specified branch of the State Bank of India at New Delhi or the branch of the scheduled bank where the person referred to in sub-section (1) has opened his foreign contribution account or the authorised person in foreign exchange, shall report to such authority as may be specified--
(a) the prescribed amount of foreign remittance;
(b) the source and manner in which the foreign remittance was received; and
(c) other particulars, in such form and manner as may be prescribed.]
Section 17, The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 (Act 42 of 2010).
Cross-references
Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.
This section refers to
Related judgements & precedents
These are some judgments that construed this section, and hold precedence value. They hold authority on how to read, interpret and use this section.
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Noel Harper v. Union of India
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
Judgement of Main Case order-8.pdf 2022-04-08 labelled. WP(C) 566/2021 (+634/2021, 751/2021). A.M. Khanwilkar / Dinesh Maheshwari / C.T. Ravikumar reportable. order-9.pdf is the same-day pronouncement ROP — attach order-8.pdf. DATE-CHECK false positive (2020-09-29 amendment / 1998-12-08 FCRA registration / 2016-08-10 renewal fact dates); body is the named Khanwilkar FCRA reportable (same Ghisalal/Tata/Avni pattern). Isolate: 2020 FCRA amendments constitutional; no fundamental right to receive foreign contribution. Distinct holdings: s.7 complete ban on transfer of FC to any other person is valid; s.17 designated FCRA account only at SBI NDMB is valid (utilisation accounts may be added elsewhere); s.12A Aadhaar for Indian office-bearers is valid, read down to passport for foreigners. Do not pad 12 (grant of certificate) or invent 17A.
On this section: FCRA 17: designated FCRA account only at SBI New Delhi Main Branch is valid; utilisation accounts may be opened in other scheduled banks (Noel Harper). Distinct from the s.7 transfer ban. Do not invent 17A.
The holding above is the ratio decidendi as extracted from the judgment by eCourts India, reproduced unaltered — it is a rendering of the court's reasoning, not a substitute for its words. Read the order itself before relying on it.
Judgments citing this section
These may be obiter dicta or a precedent, for you to study. These are the judgments where this section is quoted.
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… Further, one utilization account through which the Association has been utilizing foreign contribution has not been intimated in ARs for the FY 2016-17 and 2017-18. Such acts of omission and commission by the Association amount to violation of provisions of Sections 17(1), 18 and 19 of the Act read with rule 9(1)(e) and 17 of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Rules, 2011. In addition, the Association has refunded some foreign contribution back to the donor in the FY 2013-14 and 2014-15 in violation of Section 8(1)(a) of the FCRA, 2010. It is also observed from bank statement …
Made under this section, and citing it
2 instruments name this provision in its title or its text without being made under it.
Questions about Section 17
What have the courts held on Section 17 of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act?
Noel Harper v. Union of India (08 Apr 2022) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below: FCRA 17: designated FCRA account only at SBI New Delhi Main Branch is valid; utilisation accounts may be opened in other scheduled banks (Noel Harper). Distinct from the s.7 transfer ban. Do not invent 17A.
How do I find court cases under Section 17 of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act?
In judgments and charge sheets this section is written several ways, and each form finds a different set of orders. These search the full text of every order eCourtsIndia holds, best matches first: Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act 17, section 17 Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, section 17 of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome. 1 reported judgment on this section is set out on this page, beginning with Noel Harper v. Union of India (08 Apr 2022).
What should I read with Section 17 of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, and has it changed?
Its own text turns on section 12 (Grant of certificate of registration), so none of them can safely be read on its own. 3 other provisions in this corpus refer back to it. 2 instruments name it without being made under it, most recently Comounding of Offence under FCRA, 2010 (2018), then Compounding of Offence under FCRA, 2010 (2018).
When did Section 17 of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act come into force?
Section 17 of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, cited as Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act 17, came into force on 01 May 2011, having been enacted on 26 Sep 2010. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.
Other sections of this Act
Source and method. Compiled from the enactments of Parliament and of the State legislatures as published on India Code, and republished together with commentary and other original matter under section 52(1)(q)(ii) of the Copyright Act, 1957. Structured, cross-referenced and maintained by eCourtsIndia. Text as in force on 15 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.