NAGPUR: The Centre on Tuesday opposed and sought dismissal of a petition seeking declaration of funds received by the Prime Ministers Citizens Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situation (PM CARES), a public charitable trust created by the government amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh told the Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court that the petition, filed by advocate Arvind Waghmare, should be dismissed.
A similar petition against setting up of the PM CARES fund was dismissed by the Supreme Court in April, he informed a division bench of Justices S B Shukre and A S Kilor.
The bench, however, noted that the petition before it was seeking different reliefs, and directed the Union government to file an affidavit in response to the plea within two weeks.
“File an affidavit stating whatever is your (Union government’s) stand, the court said.
Waghmare in his petition sought a direction to the government to declare funds received and expenditure of the same on the governments website periodically.
As per the plea, the PM CARES trust, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as its chairperson and ministers from departments of Defence, Home and Finance as its members, was created with the prime objective of dealing with the emergency or distress caused by

Press Trust of India