The Delhi government informed the Supreme Court on Friday that it is moving forward with the implementation of the PM-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) in the national capital. This announcement led to the withdrawal of their plea challenging a previous directive from the Delhi High Court.
Before a bench comprising Justices B R Gavai and P K Mishra, the counsel for the Delhi government expressed their intention to comply with the high court’s order, which had mandated the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Union health ministry by January 5. “We are going ahead with the implementation of the scheme, so therefore, now we want to withdraw this SLP (special leave petition),” stated the Delhi government’s counsel.
The bench subsequently permitted the withdrawal of the petition. This development follows the recent political changes in Delhi, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) succeeded the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led government following the assembly elections.
The Supreme Court had previously stayed the high court’s January 5 deadline during a hearing on January 17 and had issued notices to the Centre and other respondents regarding the Delhi government’s challenge.
The plea originally contested the PM-ABHIM’s applicability to Delhi, arguing that the scheme was more suited to rural areas and not necessary in Delhi where the AAP’s Mohalla Clinics were already operational. The Delhi government had highlighted that 529 Mohalla Clinics, staffed by qualified medical practitioners, were already providing healthcare services to the city’s residents.
However, the high court, in its December 24 decision, underscored the importance of fully implementing PM-ABHIM to ensure that Delhi residents were not excluded from the benefits of the national scheme, especially since 33 other states and union territories had already adopted it. The high court had emphasized the necessity of signing the MoU to facilitate the flow of funds and resources essential for the health infrastructure, asserting that this action was crucial for the welfare of Delhi’s citizens and should proceed irrespective of any model code of conduct due to its significant public interest.
