‘Even one left out makes scheme arbitrary’: Delhi HC questions MLA endorsement for Lakshmi Yojana

The Delhi High Court has questioned the Delhi government's decision to require women applying for the Lakshmi Yojana to obtain an endorsement from an MP or MLA. This condition has come under scrutiny, with the court asking why access to a welfare scheme should depend on a politician's backing. The bench, consisting of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia, expressed concern that even one person left out due to this requirement would make the scheme arbitrary.

They emphasized that there are countless ways to identify eligible women and questioned the government on the objective behind this clause. The government was given 10 days to file an affidavit explaining the rationale behind the requirement. The government plans to present its justification, including the reasoning from the Delhi cabinet and practices followed in other states.

The petitioners, including former Congress municipal councillor Abhishek Dutt and sitting Congress councillor Vedpal Chaudhary, filed a public interest litigation to remove the condition requiring an endorsement from an MP or MLA. They argued that this clause grants excessive discretion to political representatives and turns the welfare entitlement into an instrument of political patronage.

The petitioners highlighted the difficulties faced by women residing in informal settlements and marginalized colonies, as these offices are often far away and poorly connected by public transport. They emphasized that the lack of standard operating procedures and administrative guidelines leaves women applicants uncertain about the status of their requests.