Delhi HC seeks rationale for MP/MLA endorsement in Lakshmi Yojana

The Delhi High Court on Monday directed the BJP-led Delhi government to explain why beneficiaries of the 'Delhi Lakshmi Yojana' must obtain an endorsement from their local MP or MLA to receive monthly financial assistance of Rs 2,500.

A bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia asked the government to explain the objective behind making the political endorsement mandatory for every applicant under the scheme.

The court directed the Delhi government to file a short affidavit within 10 days explaining the rationale for the requirement. The matter has been listed for further hearing on October 17.

“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 bench said.

“The respondent no. 1 shall also indicate what objective they are seeking to achieve by adding this clause in the scheme,” it added.

The court observed that there would be no issue if an MP or MLA endorsement were merely one of several options available to applicants. However, it questioned making it the only route for obtaining the benefit.

Court questions political endorsement

During the hearing, the bench noted that the gazette notification governing the scheme did not mention such a requirement.

Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma, appearing for the Delhi government, said similar welfare schemes had been introduced in several other states and that such a requirement existed elsewhere as well.

He argued that there was a rational nexus behind requiring the endorsement and told the court that 6.1 lakh beneficiaries had already been enrolled under the scheme.

The bench, however, questioned why women seeking financial assistance should have to obtain a recommendation from an elected political representative.

“What is the rationale to ask them to have a recommendation from MP/ MLA? A policy or scheme without any rationale is arbitrary,” the court said.

The court had earlier observed that eligibility could instead be established through documents such as income and domicile certificates.

PIL challenges endorsement requirement

The court was hearing a public interest litigation filed by former Congress councillor Abhishek Dutt and sitting councillor Vedpal Sheetal Chaudhary.

The petition challenges the mandatory endorsement or recommendation letter from the applicant's local MP or MLA as a precondition for registration under the scheme.

The PIL argues that the requirement gives political representatives “unbridled discretion” and risks turning a welfare entitlement into an instrument of political patronage.

The scheme became operational on August 1, when the Delhi government launched its online registration portal. The petitioners said the portal made the recommendation or endorsement letter from the concerned MP or MLA a mandatory document.

They also alleged that there were no specified timelines or objective criteria governing how legislators should decide whether to issue recommendations.

The petition further pointed to the absence of a grievance-redressal mechanism for applicants whose endorsement requests are rejected.

The petitioners have sought objective, transparent and non-arbitrary administrative guidelines for verifying applicants and disbursing financial assistance without political interference or unguided executive discretion.

Who is eligible?

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

However, several categories are excluded. These include women already receiving benefits under another financial assistance scheme or pension, taxpayers, government employees and families with more than three living children.

Families with annual electricity consumption exceeding 2,400 units or those owning four-wheelers are also excluded. A family is ineligible if any member is in government service or is facing a criminal case.

Only the eldest eligible woman in a family can apply.

The applicant, or her parents or husband, must have been a resident of Delhi for at least 10 years, and the beneficiary must be a registered voter in the national capital.

The High Court's direction comes amid a broader examination of whether welfare benefits can be made conditional on recommendations from elected political representatives. The Delhi government will now have to explain the purpose and legal rationale of the endorsement requirement before the next hearing.