What happened: Delhi High Court asks for a rationale on MP/MLA endorsement
The Delhi High Court directed the Delhi government to file an affidavit within 10 days explaining the objective of requiring women applicants for the Delhi Lakshmi Yojana to obtain an endorsement from their Member of Parliament (MP) or Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA). The Court framed the core issue as the need to justify why MP/MLA endorsement is made mandatory for every beneficiary.
The hearing was conducted on a challenge by former Congress councillor Abhishhek Dutt and Aya Nagar councillor Vedpal Sheetal Chaudhary.
The Bench questioned the logic of making the endorsement condition compulsory for all eligible women, and asked for a short affidavit stating the government’s purpose in adding the clause. The Court scheduled the matter for further hearing on October 17.
Petitioners’ argument: MP/MLA endorsement can shift welfare from entitlement to patronage
Petitioners argued that mandatory MP/MLA endorsement gives elected representatives unbridled discretion. In the petitioners’ view, such discretion risks turning what should be a welfare entitlement into an instrument of political patronage.
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