1 week ago
Delhi HC Questions MP, MLA Endorsement for Lakshmi Scheme
Delhi has a scheme that promises eligible women Rs 2,500 every month.
Women currently need an endorsement from their local MP or MLA to apply.
The Delhi High Court wants to know why this endorsement is compulsory.
The judges said it would be less troubling if endorsement were only one possible option.
They worried that someone who does not know an MP or MLA could be left out.
The court also said eligibility could be checked using documents such as income certificates and domicile proof.
The government said similar requirements exist in schemes in other states and that 6.1 lakh beneficiaries have been added.
The government must explain its reasoning in writing before the next hearing.
The Delhi High Court questioned why MP or MLA endorsement is compulsory for women seeking Delhi Lakshmi Yojana benefits.
The scheme promises eligible women financial assistance of Rs 2,500 per month.
The court said the endorsement requirement is the only application route and could exclude applicants who do not know an elected representative.
The Delhi government said the requirement has a rational connection to the scheme and is used in similar schemes elsewhere in India.
The government must file an affidavit within 10 days; the next hearing is scheduled for October 17.
- Who
- The Delhi High Court, the Delhi government, and petitioners Abhishek Dutt and Vedpal Sheetal Chaudhary.
- What
- The court sought the government’s rationale for requiring local MP or MLA endorsement under the Delhi Lakshmi Yojana.
- Where
- Before the Delhi High Court in New Delhi, Delhi.
- When
- The order was issued on Monday; the government has 10 days to respond, and the next hearing is on October 17.
- Why
- The court questioned the purpose and fairness of making elected representatives’ endorsement the only route to access the scheme.
Court’s concerns
Government’s defense
Need for endorsement
Court’s concerns
The court questioned why applicants must obtain an MP or MLA recommendation and said even one person left out by the condition could make the scheme arbitrary.
Government’s defense
The government said the endorsement requirement has a rational connection with the scheme and is used in similar schemes elsewhere in India.
Identifying eligible applicants
Court’s concerns
The court said eligibility could be established through documents such as income certificates and domicile proof, rather than requiring an elected representative’s backing.
Government’s defense
The government defended the existing system and was asked to explain the objective served by the endorsement clause.
Official basis of the requirement
Court’s concerns
The court noted that the scheme’s gazette notification does not mention the endorsement requirement.
Government’s defense
The government said the requirement is part of the scheme’s operation and pointed to the 6.1 lakh beneficiaries already added.
Key facts
- Scheme
- Delhi Lakshmi Yojana
- Monthly assistance
- Rs 2,500 for eligible women
- Contested condition
- Applicants must obtain endorsement from a local MP or MLA
- Court’s concern
- Applicants could be excluded if they do not know an MP or MLA
- Government’s position
- The requirement has a rational nexus and is used in similar schemes in other states
- Beneficiaries cited
- 6.1 lakh beneficiaries have been added
- Next procedural step
- The Delhi government must file a short affidavit within 10 days; the next hearing is October 17
Quotes
Delhi High Court bench
Bench comprising Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia
“Let a short affidavit be filed by respondent no. 1 (Delhi government) giving the rationale of introducing the system of endorsement from MP/MLA for the purpose of seeking benefit under the Delhi Lakshmi Yojana. The respondent no. 1 shall also indicate what objective they are seeking to achieve by adding this clause in the scheme.”
thehansindia.com
“What is the rationale to ask them to have a recommendation from MP/ MLA? A policy or scheme without any rationale is arbitrary.”
thehansindia.com
Sources
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