Plea Before Supreme Court To Convert Religious And Charitable Places That Own Property & Enjoy Tax Exemption To Covid Centres

Supreme Court has been approached by the President of Taxpayers Association of Bharat seeking directions to convert Religious and Charitable places who own property that enjoys benefit u/S12A and 80G of the Income Tax Act, into covid centres. A three-judge Bench led by Justice Chandrachud was scheduled to hear the plea on Monday, but unable to owing to some technical glitches in the Court's server. The plea, filed by Advocate Piyush Hans, has sought directions to Religious and Charitable places who own property, like Ashrams, Madrassas, Gurudwaras, Church etc, and enjoy benefit u/S12A and 80G of the Income Tax Act, into COVID Care Centers. According to the petitioner, their further transactions must be ceased with immediate effect and their funds be utilized for COVID patients. The plea has sought directions to develop, maintain and circulate district wise dashboard / web portal for COVID Patients displaying their needs of Oxygen, Medicine, Hospitalisation, etc and to appoint districtwise NODAL officer. The plea has sought waiver of GST on use of necessary drugs and medicines and during the COVID period and inviting the other companies to manufacture and distribute these drugs for saving lives. The plea has sought directions to the government to declare preference in obtaining degrees and in exams to those in line to become doctors and nurses who voluntarily come forward to serve COVID patients, after completing particular period in COVID / ICU. The directions regarding these are sought to be issued to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Council of Nursing and Medical Council of India or the appropriate body. The plea has asked for court's intervention to issue appropriate guidelines to Media House to advertise lungs exercises, etc and compulsory advertisement for exercise at home for minimum 4 minutes every hour. Further, the plea has sought directions to provide a Call Center / BPO / Control room, or use of the existing police control rooms in every district to make the possible arrangement available to the citizens. The petitioner has opined that the data for total number of deaths due to COVID and otherwise in the last year should br published with reason of death. The plea has sought necessary amendments to be made in the Disaster management Act to make the denial of COVID testing punishable and to compensate those affected during pandemic. According to the petitioner, proper guidelines need to he framed for Covid patients as to who would require hospitalization and who would require Covid care Center and who would require home isolation. While stating thay responsibility and accountability is clearly fixed in the leader on the spot in an ideal system, the petitioner has urged the Court to responsibility and accountability of the 'MP's and MLA's'for all matters within their Constituency along with the District officers. The plea has stated that this can be done by setting up various 'panchayats' of enlightened permanent residents, NGO's, Academia, businesses, Youth, etc. all working together, transparently, so that the development of Constituency can be planned on long-term basis by those who live and work there in these COVID times.

Plea Before Supreme Court To Convert Religious And Charitable Places That Own Property & Enjoy Tax Exemption To Covid Centres

Srishti Ojha

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