State govt needs to have some control over fundraising, observes Kerala HC

The Kerala High Court on Friday held that the state government should have some control over fundraising, particularly crowdfunding.

The court added that the state government has not so far evolved any policy in connection with crowdfunding. This came while considering a petition seeking government assistance for importing a drug to treat a six-month-old child suffering from rare genetic disease.

Bench of Justice PB Suresh Kumar directed the government to inform it about the provisions to control crowdfunding in the state. Court also said that it will suo motu implead the State Police Chief in the case.

"There are different persons including YouTubers raising funds. Money is being collected by them for treatment purposes. Rs 18 crores has been collected within one or two days. Where is the money going? From where is the money coming? Who collected the amount? What is the balance? Is there any control or monitoring by the state over this collection of money. I do not want every Tom, Dick and Harry to collect money. When the Kerala government has started collecting money for providing free vaccines, it got only Rs 68 lakhs whereas Rs 18 crores was collected within seven days by some people. What is the magic behind it?" the Court said.

"YouTubers can promote the campaign for raising funds," it added.

However, the Court observed that the state government must ascertain some control over crowdfunding.

"Let the money come to the government platform. Why should they be collecting money through their account? Some YouTubers started arguments in public about the balance amount. State government has not so far evolved any policy in connection with crowdfunding. The people cannot just be permitted to collect money. There should be some sort of control by the government. The public shall not be taken for a ride. If any mismanagement or allegations come out, the public will not provide help in future. If the government has a platform, then the money will be collected by the government," said the Court.

( With inputs from ANI )

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