New Delhi [India], September 16 : The Delhi government has defended the requirement of an endorsement from the area MP or MLA for women seeking benefits under the Delhi Lakshmi Yojana, saying around 7.32 lakh applications carrying such recommendations have already been received.
In a short affidavit filed before the Delhi High Court, the Department of Women and Child Development said the petition challenging the requirement was “motivated” and did not involve any element of public interest. It sought dismissal of the petition and also questioned the petitioner’s locus standi.
The government denied the allegation that economically weaker and marginalised women were being forced to make repeated visits to the offices or residences of MPs and MLAs to obtain the required endorsement, causing them hardship and additional expenses.
It said 7,32,814 forms bearing endorsements of local MPs and MLAs had been received so far, which, according to the government, did not support the petitioner’s claim that the requirement was causing difficulty to beneficiaries.
The government further said that a policy decision can be examined by a court on limited grounds, including if it is unconstitutional, contrary to a statute or regulation, beyond the government’s delegated powers, or contrary to a larger statutory or executive policy. It argued that the petitioner had failed to show that the MP/MLA endorsement requirement suffered from any such legal defect.
The affidavit also said the petitioner had not placed any material before the court to show that the women for whose benefit the scheme was introduced were unable to approach the court themselves. The government argued that the present petition therefore did not qualify as a public interest litigation.
According to the government, the Mahila Samridhi Yojana was approved by the Delhi Cabinet on March 8, 2025, and notified in the Delhi Gazette on April 24, 2025, to provide financial assistance of ₹2,500 per month to eligible poor women in Delhi.
A committee of the Council of Ministers later framed detailed guidelines and the scheme was renamed the Delhi Lakshmi Yojana. The government said the requirement for recommendation by the area MP and MLA was included in the guidelines approved by the Council of Ministers.
The government also cited several other schemes that, according to the affidavit, require recommendations or endorsements from MPs or MLAs, including the NDMC pension scheme, the Kashyap Scheme for Food and Shelter in Andhra Pradesh, the Odisha Chief Minister’s Relief Fund and the Dr Ambedkar Scheme for Social Integration for Inter-Caste Marriages.
Relying on a Supreme Court judgment concerning the role of elected representatives in developmental activities, the government argued that the requirement of an MP/MLA recommendation cannot by itself be treated as arbitrary, unconstitutional or beyond the government’s powers.
The government has accordingly urged the High Court to dismiss the petition, contending that it lacks merit, locus standi and public interest.