The CBI has accused Dutta of receiving foreign contribution from US-based nonprofit Earthjustice to stall coal projects in India through his Legal Initiative for Forest and Environment (LIFE).
Regardless of the outcome of the criminal case against Dutta, the fear of the process initiated against him will be enough of a deterrent for others seeking to achieve environmental justice in India.
The CBI, in its FIR, said that Dutta used funds to 'take down India's existing or proposed coal projects' through his NGO, Legal Initiative for Forest and Environment, in violation of FCRA norms.
Changes to the Environment, Water and Air Acts mean that offenders will need to pay only monetary penalties for non-compliance under some sections and will no longer face the threat of imprisonment.
The 2021 Right Livelihood Award, also known as the alternative Nobel Prize, goes to Marthe Wandou, Vladimir Sliwjak, Freda Huson and the Legal Initiative for Forest and Environment (LIFE).