The PM CARES Fund which was registered as a “public charitable trust” on March 27 and was announced by the Prime Minister to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, has now accumulated donations amounting to thousands of crores.
This Fund which is not under the audit of Comptroller and Auditor General of India has been a cause of concern for many and any attempts to gather information was thwarted by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). In its latest efforts to block the details of the Fund, the PMO has stated that releasing the particulars of the Fund would “disproportionately divert the resources of the office.”
An NGO called the Centre for Public Interest Litigation filed a plea asked the Supreme Court (SC) to direct the Central Government to transfer contributions for the COVID-19 pandemic to the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF). In its petition, the NGO stated that the PM CARES fund violates the provisions of the Disaster Management Act.
The SC dismissed the plea and refused the transfer of funds to the NDRF. It stated that the funds collected by PM CARES Fund and those of other trusts are “entirely different” and the money collected need not be transferred to the NDRF.
Additionally, the apex court also stated that the government is free to transfer money to the NDRF if it feels it is suitable to do so, and any contributions or grants can be credited to the NDRF and any person can make voluntary contributions. This decision was delivered via video conferencing by a three-judge bench comprising of Justices Ashok Bhushan, R. Subhash Reddy and M.R. Shah.
The fact that the SC isn’t even trying to hide the fact that they may have close links with the ruling party suggests that the judiciary is no more functioning as an independent body.
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