Appeal
Section 31 of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 deals with appeal. Any person aggrieved by any order made under section 29 may prefer an appeal,-- (a) where the order has been made by the Court of Session, to the High Court to which such Court is subordinate; The Act came into force on 01 May 2011.
(1) Any person aggrieved by any order made under section 29 may prefer an appeal,--
(a) where the order has been made by the Court of Session, to the High Court to which such Court is subordinate; or
(b) where the order has been made by any officer specified under clause (b) of sub-section (1) of section 29, to the Court of Session within the local limits of whose jurisdiction such order of adjudication of confiscation was made,
within one month from the date of communication to such person of the order:
Provided that the appellate court may, if it is satisfied that the appellant was prevented by sufficient cause from preferring the appeal within the said period of one month, allow such appeal to be preferred within a further period of one month, but not thereafter.
(2) Any organisation referred to in clause (f) of sub-section (1) of section 3, or any person or association referred to in section 6 or section 9, aggrieved by an order made in pursuance of section 5 or by an order of the Central Government refusing to give permission under this Act, or by any order made by the Central Government under sub-section (2) or sub-section (4) of section 12, or sub-section (1) of section 14, as the case may be, may, within sixty days from the date of such order, prefer an appeal against such order to the High Court within the local limits of whose jurisdiction the appellant ordinarily resides or carries on business or personally works for gain, or, where the appellant is an organisation or association, the principal office of such organisation or association is located.
(3) Every appeal preferred under this section shall be deemed to be an appeal from an original decree and the provisions of Order XLI of the First Schedule to the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (5 of 1908), shall, as far as may be, apply thereto as they apply to an appeal from an original decree.
Section 31, 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
- s. 3 Prohibition to accept foreign contribution
- s. 5 Procedure to notify an organisation of a political nature
- s. 6 Restriction on acceptance of foreign hospitality
- s. 9 Power of Central Government to prohibit receipt of foreign contribution, etc., in certain cases
- s. 12 Grant of certificate of registration
- s. 14 Cancellation of certificate
- s. 29 Adjudication of confiscation
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.
-
Poondimadha Religious Trust v. Secretary to Government of India
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
DATE VERIFIED Final Order 2019-11-28 (order-1.pdf): CMA under FCRA s.31 challenging refusal of registration/renewal pathway under ss.11(1)/(2) and 16; Court upholds Central Government refusal grounded in s.12(4)(a)(vi) (likely diversion/personal gain), affirming that s.11 registration is conditioned on s.12(4) eligibility and that statutory refusal after enquiry is sustainable.
On this section: s.31(2) — High Court appeal against Central Government orders refusing FCRA registration/permission under ss.5/12/14 pathway.
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.
Questions about Section 31
What have the courts held on Section 31 of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act?
Poondimadha Religious Trust v. Secretary to Government of India (28 Nov 2019) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below: s.31(2) — High Court appeal against Central Government orders refusing FCRA registration/permission under ss.5/12/14 pathway.
How do I find court cases under Section 31 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 31, section 31 Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, section 31 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 Poondimadha Religious Trust v. Secretary to Government of India (28 Nov 2019).
What should I read with Section 31 of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, and has it changed?
Its own text turns on section 3 (Prohibition to accept foreign contribution), section 5 (Procedure to notify an organisation of a political nature), section 6 (Restriction on acceptance of foreign hospitality), section 9 (Power of Central Government to prohibit receipt of foreign contribution, etc., in certain cases), and on 3 further provisions, so none of them can safely be read on its own.
When did Section 31 of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act come into force?
Section 31 of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, cited as Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act 31, 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 22 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.