New Delhi: A group of 275 retired judges, former IAS officers and senior military officials has issued a joint statement condemning the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) report as “biased” and driven by ulterior motives.
USCIRF, which monitors religious freedom globally and makes policy recommendations to the US government, recently released its 2025 report. The report alleged religious freedom violations in India and recommended a ban on India’s external intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
While the Union government had already criticised the recommendations, the signatories said the report reflected flawed assessments and questioned the commission’s intellectual credibility. They called the suggestions to freeze RSS assets and restrict the movement of its members “prejudiced”.
The statement argued that the recommendations sought to destabilise Indian institutions without adequate evidence and urged the US government to examine the background of those who prepared the report. It also said India, as the world’s largest democracy, has strong judicial and parliamentary oversight and sufficient legal avenues to address any violations of religious rights.
The signatories further said socio-cultural organisations like the RSS are involved in nation-building and social service, and that criticism must be evidence-based rather than defamatory. They warned that the report could be aimed at creating a rift in India–US relations and alleged the role of “hidden forces” behind it.
Among those who signed the joint statement were former Supreme Court judges Adarsh Kumar Goel and Hemant Gupta, former Election Commissioners O.P. Rawat and Sunil Arora, and former Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal.
