SC REFUSES TRANSFER OF FUNDS FROM PMCF TO NDRF The Centre for Public Interest Litigation(CPIL) represented by Dushyant Dave and Prashant Bhushan, senior advocates of the SC contended that the PM Cares Fund has public money, is not subject to audit by CAG , not answerable to RTI and contributions by companys maybe considered agaist CSR etc. The people have a right to know just how much is the total amount received, from whom, contributions from all sources being tax free with no transparency and accountability mandatory for public funds! There is already a NDRF(National Disaster Relief Funf and PMNRF (PM National Relief Fund).Though bugetary allocations done for these funds, voluntary donations are also encompassed. The court refuted these arguments on the government's reported grounds that the PMCF was set up in an emergency situation for any other emergency for citizen's assistance and providing necessary relief. The PM is the Chairman and ministers of defence, home and finance are the trustees. Subsequently at TV debates, the government spokespersons gave figures where the money was spent, and assured it will be audited (not specified by whom). This is highly unsatisfactory since except in house, the public is not entitled to know any details of exactly how much is the total received, from where (some speculate chinese and foreign funds involved), and total figures shown hide how tendered, costs of each item etc. BJP President and Union ministers derogatorily state this PIL is filed by "band of rent a cause activists" and "transparency is writ large in the PMCF". With the courts also upholding the governments free from public scrutiny Electoral Bonds, Prashant Bhusan under Contempt of Court for merely accusational tweets what even other judges and legal luminaries have sometime publicly opined, whither our democracy with a government on the same page in freedom and secrecy for itself, public kept in the dark and a Laxman Rekha for criticism by an eminent public interest supreme court lawyer being drawn by the Supreme Court?
