Delhi High Court on Wednesday has rejected a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed against the decision of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) to contribute Rs 15 crore to the PM-CARES Fund.
Delhi High Court bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan considered it a motivated plea against the president of the institution. The bench asked the petitioner’s lawyer, Navneet Chaturvedi, to either withdraw the petition or face dismissal with the exemplary cost.
Following the court’s directions, the lawyer for the petitioner withdrew the petition and the court dismissed the matter as withdrawn.
The court heard the PIL through video conferencing and asked the petitioner, who according to Chaturvedi is a journalist and social worker, “how a PIL can be filed when the members of ICAI were not aggrieved by the transfer of funds”.
“If the members of ICAI are happy to contribute, then what are the grounds for a PIL. This appears to be a motivated petition against the president of the institution,” stated the court.
Besides the transfer of Rs 15 crore amount to PM-CARES Fund, ICAI has also pledged to transfer Rs 6 crore more via contributions from its members.
As per the petitioner, the decision was influenced by the request made by then Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
Following the pandemic COVID-19 spread in India, the government has constituted The Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund on March 28, 2020, aiming it combating, containment, and relief efforts amid pandemic.