An NGO, Delhi Rozi Roti Adhikar Abhiyan, had filed a petition in the Delhi High Court seeking disbursal of subsidised food grains under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), without Aadhaar card.
- The bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar were told by the NGO that the slum dwellers (in south Delhi) who don’t have Aadhaar yet, were facing challenges in receiving subsidised food grains under the Public Distribution System (PDS).
- The bench then made the observation that it will ensure that nobody in the national capital will sleep hungry and that everybody will get their due rations.
- It then asked the NGO and the concerned authorities to suggest a foolproof mechanism with less human intervention.
- The Bench also said, “… We want to know who has not got ration and why?”
During the course of the hearing, the UIDAI counsel Zohab Hussain informed the bench that fair price shops need to be closely monitored and scrutinised as he had found several of them closed even during daytime when he had visited the area.
- The NGO, the counsel of Delhi government as well a local commissioner were asked by the bench to submit a list of difficulties faced by the public in receiving the benefits through PDS/FPS.
- It later posted the hearing for September 19.
The PIL seeks to quash the February 8 notification that made Aadhaar mandatory to receive benefits under the NFSA, claiming that this notification violates the basic principles of law as enshrined within Articles 14 and 21 (equality and right to life, respectively) of our Constitution.
