The CBI has reportedly begun a search at the residence of noted lawyer Indira Jaising and the office of Lawyers Collective, an NGO run by her husband Anand Grover, officials said on Thursday.

A statement issued by the Lawyers Collective, Jaising and Grover had linked the searches to Jaising speaking out against the procedure adopted by the Supreme Court in relation to allegations of sexual harassment against Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi by a former apex court employee.

Jaising, Grover and Lawyers Collective denied 'any allegation of misutilisation of any funds', an allegtion made by the home ministry regarding foreign aid to the Lawyers Collective.

'It is obvious to us that this is victimisation on account of Ms Jaising taking up the issue of the procedure adopted in relation to allegations of sexual harassment against the Chief Justice of India by a former employee of the Supreme Court, which Ms Jaising has done so in her capacity as a concerned citizen, a senior member of the bar and a women's rights advocate, without commenting on merits of the allegations,' the statement said.

The searches are taking place at the Nizamuddin residence and the office of Jaising, the office of Lawyers Collective in Jangpura and an office in Mumbai from 5 in the morning, officials said.

Grover was recently booked by the agency for alleged foreign aid violations. When contacted, Grover asked not to be disturbed as he was in the 'midst' of the searches.

Lawyers Collective had issued a strong denial of all the charges levelled by the CBI.

The CBI had filed an FIR against Grover and the NGO on the basis of a complaint from the Union home ministry, which has alleged several discrepancies in the utilisation of foreign aid received by the NGO.

Jaising, a former additional solicitor-general, is not named as an accused in the FIR but her alleged role figures in the complaint of the ministry.

The CBI has booked Grover, the president of Lawyers Collective, and unidentified office-bearers of the organisation, besides unidentified officials.

According to the complaint of the ministry, the NGO received foreign aid worth over Rs 32.39 crore between 2006-07 and 2014-15, wherein irregularities were committed that amounted to violation of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA).

The ministry said that based on available information and scrutiny of records of the NGO, violations of various provisions of the FCRA, 2010, were noticed.

It added that an on-site inspection of books of accounts and records of the NGO was conducted from January 19-23, 2016.

The Trinamul Congress termed the raids carried out by the CBI as “vendetta” and alleged that the government was harassing all the “voices of opposition”.

”The CBI raid at the residence of Indira Jaising and Anand Grover is yet another example of the many instances of vendetta. This govt is harassing citizens and all voices of opposition. This is a #SuperEmergency,” TMC national spokesperson Derek O' Brien tweeted.