The special leave plea filed by the Central Government against the Delhi High Court's September 27 ruling paving the way for the execution of the Delhi Government's doorstep delivery of ration plan was delayed by the Supreme Court on Friday until Monday, November 15.
After learning that the Delhi Government has submitted a compilation of papers in the case, a bench consisting of Justices L Nageswara Rao and BR Gavai adjourned the case to November 15.
Despite the fact that the Solicitor General of India, Tushar Mehta, wanted a posting for tomorrow, the bench stated that it had other issues scheduled for hearing that day.
The SLP was filed against an interim order, and the main issue is pending before the High Court, according to Senior Advocate Dr Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who is representing the Delhi Government. The Order of the Delhi High Court On September 27, 2021, the Delhi High Court authorised the Delhi Government to reduce supply to Fair Price Shops to the point that people who choose door-to-door delivery were affected.
After observing that "an overwhelming majority" of people had chosen door-to-door delivery, the Court issued the order.
The Delhi High Court ordered the Delhi government to send letters to all fair pricing store owners alerting them about the people who have chosen to receive food at their homes. Justice(s) Vipin Sanghi and Jasmeet Singh underlined that it was only after this exercise that such fair pricing store owners were no longer required to be supplied with rations.
"First, the GNCTD shall issue communications to each of the fair price shop holders informing them of the particulars of the ration cardholders who have opted to receive their rations at their doorsteps, and only then shall the rations, to the extent that they are being supplied to such optees, need not be supplied to the fair price shop holders," the Court stated.
"The GNCTD should publicize, for the benefit of the beneficiaries under the PDS scheme, the essential terms and conditions of this order," the Court added.
The development came after the Bench amended a previous ruling dated March 22, 2021, in which it instructed the Delhi Government not to suspend or limit the delivery of food grains or flour to members of the Delhi Sarkari Ration Dealers Sangh, Delhi.
The Court also took into account a declaration issued by the Delhi government, which said that beneficiaries under the PDS system who chose home delivery of rations would be able to opt-out at any time and return to the fair price stores to pick up their rations.
"The GNCTD shall publish the important terms and circumstances of this decision for the benefit of the PDS plan beneficiaries," the Court said.
The Central Government has raised concerns over the Delhi Government's plan, claiming that it cannot be executed without changing the National Food Security Act.