Delhi HC questions MP/MLA endorsement for Lakshmi Yojana benefits

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The Delhi High Court on Wednesday questioned the Delhi government’s decision to require an endorsement from the local MP or MLA for women seeking benefits under the ‘Delhi Lakshmi Yojana’, which provides financial assistance of ₹2,500 a month.

A Bench of Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia said such an endorsement could not be justified when eligibility could be verified through other documents. The court asked the government to seek instructions on the issue and listed the matter for August 24.

“Seek instructions. We can’t approve of it,” the Bench told the government counsel.

The proceedings arose from a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by former Congress councillor Abhishek Dutt and sitting councillor Vedpal Sheetal Chaudhary.

The Bench noted that the requirement of a legislator’s endorsement did not find mention in the scheme, which specifies detailed eligibility conditions for beneficiaries. “Why are you asking them to approach the MLA or the MP?” the court said.

“We are of a prima facie view that in assessing as to whether a woman fulfils the criteria, various documents can be asked for. It is possible that a woman may or may not get the endorsement of the MP/MLA of her constituency. In any case, the scheme does not mention any requirement of an endorsement letter,” the court observed.

The petitioners argued that making a recommendation or endorsement from the local MP or MLA mandatory gave political representatives “unbridled discretion” and effectively turned a welfare entitlement into an instrument of political patronage.

According to the PIL, the scheme came into operation on August 1, when the Delhi government launched an online registration portal. The petitioners said the portal made submission of a recommendation or endorsement letter from the concerned MP or MLA a compulsory requirement for registration.

The plea also pointed out that applicants had no grievance redressal mechanism if an MP or MLA declined to provide the endorsement.

Apart from challenging the endorsement requirement, the petition seeks directions for the formulation of objective, transparent and non-arbitrary guidelines for verifying eligibility and disbursing financial assistance under the scheme, without political interference or unguided executive discretion.

Under the scheme, women aged between 21 and 60 years with an annual family income of up to ₹2.5 lakh are eligible to apply.

However, the scheme excludes women already receiving benefits under another financial assistance scheme or pension, income-tax payers and government employees. Families with more than three living children, annual electricity consumption above 2,400 units, ownership of a four-wheeler, or a member in government service are also excluded. Families with a member facing a criminal case are similarly ineligible.

The guidelines further provide that the eldest eligible woman in a family can apply.