The court, led by Justice Jyoti Singh, questioned the relevance of the petition, asking, “How is it maintainable as an election petition? You go and file a PIL.”
NEW DELHI: On January 9, 2025, the Delhi High Court raised questions about the maintainability of a petition challenging the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) recent promise to provide a Rs.2,100 monthly stipend to women under the Mukhya Mantri Mahila Samman Yojana scheme, ahead of the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections.
The petitioner, Vijay Kumar, filed the petition against the AAP’s announcement, claiming it was misleading as the Delhi government had already denied such a scheme.
The court, led by Justice Jyoti Singh, questioned the relevance of the petition, asking, “How is it maintainable as an election petition? You go and file a PIL.”
The petitioner argued that AAP was trying to influence voters with a false announcement, and hence, the issue should be addressed by the Election Commission of India.
However, Justice Singh asked the petitioner to explain the legal grounds for filing an election petition and directed him to provide further submissions regarding its maintainability. The court also scheduled the next hearing for January 10, 2025.
Vijay Kumar’s counsel, Advocate Shiv Shankar Parashar, informed the court that Kumar had already submitted a complaint to the Election Commission on January 3, 2025, regarding the alleged false promise made by the AAP.
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The petitioner’s lawyer emphasized that no action had been taken by the Election Commission, urging the court to ask the Election Commission to “expeditiously dispose of his complaint.”
The petition also sought a directive to the Chief Electoral Officer to stop AAP workers from collecting forms related to the supposed scheme.
According to the petitioner’s lawyer, “Women voters of Delhi would be affected if the complaint was not decided.”
The controversy started on December 12, 2024, when Arvind Kejriwal, the AAP leader, announced the launch of the Delhi government’s scheme, promising to provide financial aid to women in the city. He mentioned that if AAP returned to power, the monthly stipend would be increased from Rs 1,000 to Rs.2,100.
However, on December 25, 2024, the Women and Child Development and Health departments of the Delhi government issued public notices distancing themselves from the scheme, calling it non-existent.
They also warned the public about “fraudulent” collection of personal information by individuals or political parties, instructing people not to share their details for the registration of the scheme. The notice stated that the collection of information was “without any authority.”
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The controversy surrounding the scheme has led to accusations of voter manipulation ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections, which are scheduled for February 5, 2025, with vote counting on February 8, 2025. The court will continue to hear the case and provide further directions in the coming days.
Case Title: Vijay Kumar v. ECI
