PM CARES Row: Kapil Sibal Says 'Centre's Collusion' After Supreme Court Refuses CAG Audit of COVID-19 Relief Fund

New Delhi, August 19: Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Wednesday accused the Centre of collusion after the Supreme Court said a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audit of PM CARES fund is not necessary.

Taking it to twitter, Sibal said, "PM CARES (A Charitable Public Trust). Corporates and Public Sector: Do charity and gain PM's trust. In politics it's called: 'Mili Bhagat' (Collusion)." Also Read | Parliament Session: Allow MPs to Attend Virtually, Says Congress’ Adhir Chowdhury in Letter to Lok Sabha Speaker.

"No CAG audit necessary says Supreme Court," added Sibal in his tweet.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Apex Court held that the money in the Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM CARES) Fund cannot be directed to be deposited or transferred to the National Disaster Response Fund. Also Read | Jammu And Kashmir: MHA Decides to Withdraw 100 Companies of Paramilitary Forces from J&K.

A three-judge bench, headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan said that individuals can contribute to the disaster response fund voluntarily and added that there is no need for a fresh national disaster relief plan.

The bench said that the CAG audit is not required as the donations are voluntary and exempted from government support. The bench, while refusing to direct the transfer of money in PM CARES to disaster response fund, disposed of a petition filed by the NGO -- Centre for PIL (CPIL) -- seeking to transfer the contributions made to the PM CARES Fund to the NDRF.

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