Plea in Delhi HC to direct PM CARES Fund to divulge info under RTI Act
New Delhi: A plea was filed in the Delhi High Court on Thursday seeking direction to the PM CARES Fund to divulge information, including details of the money received and utilised, under the Right to Information (RTI) Act as it is a public authority.
The petition was mentioned for urgent hearing through the web link and it has been listed on June 10, petitioner-advocate Surender Singh Hooda said.
The creation of the fund was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 28 and he had urged all Indians to donate to the fund to help the country fight Covid-19, the petition said.
After two months, the total corpus of the fund stands at approximately Rs 10,000 crore and the amount has been collected upon strength of the prestige lent by the office of the Prime Minister, it said.
The plea referred to the reports published in newspapers on May 31 that the PM CARES fund has refused to divulge information sought by one Harsha Kundakarni under the RTI Act, 2005 by claiming that the fund is not a 'public authority' within the ambit of Act.
Therefore, the petitioner's or anybody else's application would also meet the same fate and hence the exercise of exhausting the remedy by filing another application and then filing appeal before the statutory authority may be dispensed with in the interest of justice, it said.
The plea, filed through advocate Aditya Hooda, sought a direction to the PM CARES Fund to divulge information under the RTI Act as it is a 'public authority' within the ambit of the Act and also a direction to the trust to display on its website the details of the money received and for what purposes it has been utilised.
The reluctance of the trustees of the fund in divulging information as to the management of the fund raises a profoundly serious apprehension since the fund has been set up to fight Covid-19 which is a public cause. It is further unfathomable as to why such secrecy is desired when the website of the fund clearly states that all persons engaged in the management of the fund are working on a pro bono capacity and shall have no personal interest in the fund, it submitted.
It added that the corpus of Rs 10,000 crores has been created by donations largely from the Public Sector Undertakings, Central Ministries and Departments and even the salaries of armed forces personnel, civil servants and members of the judicial entities have been compulsorily donated into the fund.
If the PM CARES fund is held not to be a public authority, it needs to be examined as to whether the public authorities at the highest level could prompt the government agencies, public servants to contribute to this fund whose details are now sought to be kept opaque, it said.
The petition said the victims of Covid-19 who desperately need the funds to fight the deadly pandemic are spread all over the country and are not in a position to enforce their fundamental right of being treated and financially supported, by the use of funds collected in the PM CARES fund.
The plea has arrayed as party the Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund, through its Chairman, Prime Minister office.
It said the Prime Minister is the ex-officio chairman of the PM CARES fund while the ministers of Defence, Home Affairs and Finance are its ex-officio trustees.
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BJP urges Bengaluru Police Commissioner to cancel event supporting Umar Khalid
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka BJP on Monday petitioned Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh to cancel an event supporting activist Umar Khalid.
A delegation of BJP leaders led by Bengaluru Central MP P C Mohan met the Commissioner and submitted a memorandum in this regard.
According to sources, the editors of the book "Umar Khalid and His World" will read excerpts from the book on April 28 in Bengaluru, followed by a discussion in which some "historians and intellectuals" are likely to participate.
Khalid is in jail in connection with allegations of conspiracy behind the 2020 Delhi riots.
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"In Bengaluru city, an event has been organised under the platform "Umar Khalid Prapancha" to express support for Khalid, who is currently under arrest under anti-terrorism laws," the BJP said in its memorandum.
"Across the country, the Central Government has taken strict action against Naxalites. However, urban Naxal elements are still active and are indirectly supporting anti-national activities," it alleged.
Further stating that Khalid is facing very serious charges, the memorandum said, the fact that courts have denied him bail for the past three years stands as an indication of his alleged criminal activities.
"Glorifying such an individual would amount to encouraging criminal elements. It is shocking that such an event is being held in our city. It is also a matter of serious concern that pro Umar Khalid slogans and wall writings have already appeared across the city, indicating the spread of such networks," it said.
"In the interest of maintaining peace in the city, we request that the permission granted for this event be withdrawn. If the event proceeds and any law and order situation arises, the BJP will not be responsible for it. We urge you to consider our request in the interest of the city and cancel the event," it added.
The Supreme Court on April 20 dismissed activist Khalid's plea seeking a review of a verdict denying him bail, while observing that there are reasonable grounds to believe the allegations levelled against him in connection with a conspiracy behind the 2020 Delhi riots.
There was a prima-facie case against Khalid and Sharjeel Imam (another accused) under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the top court had earlier said, noting that prosecution material suggests that they were involved in the "planning, mobilisation and strategic direction" of the riots.
The February 2020 riots in northeast Delhi broke out during protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), leaving 53 people dead and more than 700 injured.
