The Bombay High Court directed the Union of India to file a reply to a PM cares petition filed by a lawyer seeking an audit by the Comptroller & Auditor General of India and public declaration of funds received by the Prime Minister’s Citizens Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund).
Justice Madhav Jamdar of the Nagpur bench heard the petition filed by advocate Arvind Waghmare and directed the Union of India to file an affidavit in response to the plea.
The petitioner has alleged that as per the guidelines of the PM CARES Fund, apart from the chairperson and three other trustees, the chairperson had to appoint or nominate three more trustees. However, since the formation of the trust on March 28, 2020 till date no appointment has been made.
Directions have been sought to the government and the trust to appoint or nominate at least two members from opposition parties in the lower house as well as the upper house in order to “have a proper check and transparency.”
Moreover, directions have been sought to allow CAG to audit the PM Cares Fund instead of an independent auditor selected by the aforesaid trustees of the fund, which is what the government had said.
The petition in lieu of PM cares fund stated-
“In order to fortify and strengthen the general public’s faith and confidence, it is necessary to issue a direction to the government to declare the funds collected by PM CARES trust till date and how the same have been used for the benefits of citizens affected by coronavirus”
The matter will be next heard on May 15.
