The Delhi High Court on Thursday sought the stand of the AAP government regarding a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by BJP Members of Parliament from Delhi, demanding the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY). Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet PS Arora presided over the bench, issuing notices to the Delhi government, the Central government, and the Lieutenant Governor.
The bench scheduled the next hearing for December 11, alongside its own suo-motu inquiry into the state of critical care in Delhi’s government hospitals. The PIL argues that the absence of AB-PMJAY in Delhi has left its residents vulnerable, facing high medical expenses and often resorting to selling assets or borrowing during health emergencies. The petitioners, including Harsh Malhotra, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, Praveen Khandelwal, Yogendra Chandolia, Manoj Tiwari, Kamaljeet Sehrawat, and Bansuri Swaraj, contend that Delhi remains the only union territory without this healthcare scheme, thereby denying underprivileged citizens essential health coverage of up to Rs 5 lakh.
On November 27, the court expressed dismay over the Delhi government’s refusal to accept financial aid from the Centre-backed health scheme despite apparent funding shortages in its healthcare system. The justices emphasized that the scheme represents crucial aid to a specific segment of citizens and urged the local administration to resolve internal differences to facilitate the scheme’s implementation.
Representing the petitioners, Swaraj stressed the need for political differences to be set aside for the welfare of Delhi’s residents. The petition highlighted that while 33 out of 36 states and union territories in India have adopted the scheme, and Odisha is considering its implementation, Delhi uniquely remains non-compliant. This non-implementation, according to the petitioners, uniquely and arbitrarily deprives target beneficiaries of easy access to a promised Rs 5 lakh cover, which could shield them from catastrophic expenditures in secondary and tertiary care hospitalizations across a network of empaneled hospitals.
