The Delhi High Court denied an urgent plea against the Aam Aadmi Party’s promise of a Rs 2,100 monthly stipend for women, stating no grounds for prioritizing the request. The petition alleged deceitful voter luring ahead of elections, claiming the scheme was false. The court deferred the matter to January 30, with upcoming elections on February 5.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday (Jan 20th) declined an urgent request to hear a plea against the Aam Aadmi Party’s (A) poll promise of providing a Rs 2,100 monthly stipend to women under the Mukhya Mantri Mahila Samman Yojana. Justice Jyoti Singh dismissed the plea for “early disposal,” noting there was no justification for prioritizing the request.
“The matter was passed over three times on the last date, but the petitioner was unrepresented. No ground for hearing is made out. Dismissed,”
the court stated.
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The petition, filed by Vijay Kumar, alleged that A was using the scheme to lure voters with false promises ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections scheduled for February 5, with results set to be announced on February 8. The petitioner argued that the Delhi government had denied the existence of such a scheme, making the announcement deceptive.
Advocate Shiv Shankar Parashar, representing the petitioner, claimed his client had filed a complaint with the Election Commission of India (ECI) on January 3 but received no response. He urged the court to direct the ECI to address the complaint and stop A workers from collecting forms for the alleged scheme.
Earlier, on January 10, the court postponed the hearing to the end of the month after no one appeared for the petitioner despite multiple calls. Justice Singh also raised questions about the maintainability of the petition, which had been filed as an “election petition.”
The controversy began on December 12, 2024, when A chief Arvind Kejriwal announced the rollout of the Mukhya Mantri Mahila Samman Yojana, promising to increase the monthly stipend for women from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,100 if the party retained power. However, the Delhi government’s Women and Child Development and Health departments later issued public notices distancing themselves from the scheme.
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The departments labeled the scheme “non-existent” and cautioned citizens against sharing personal information with individuals or groups claiming to register them for such benefits. They warned that any data collection under the pretext of the scheme was fraudulent.
The plea sought to:
- Direct the ECI to expedite action on the complaint.
- Stop A workers from collecting forms related to the scheme.
The Delhi High Court has deferred the matter to January 30, leaving the controversy unresolved as election day nears.
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