The Delhi High Court raised questions about the legal validity of a plea challenging the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) recent election promise under the Mukhya Mantri Mahila Samman Yojana scheme, which proposed a monthly stipend for women in Delhi. On Thursday, Justice Jyoti Singh expressed concerns regarding the maintainability of the case as an election petition, suggesting instead that it might be more appropriately filed as a public interest litigation (PIL).
The petitioner, Vijay Kumar, represented by Advocate Shiv Shankar Parashar, argued that the AAP was enticing voters with deceptive claims, as evidenced by the Delhi government’s denial of the existence of such a scheme. The court has scheduled further discussion on the case’s maintainability for January 10.
Kumar had previously lodged a complaint with the Election Commission of India, asserting that the ruling party’s announcement—pledging a ₹2,100 monthly stipend to women holding Delhi voter IDs—was fraudulent. He implored the court to mandate the Election Commission to swiftly resolve his complaint, lodged on January 3.
Additionally, the petition seeks an injunction preventing AAP workers from further distributing forms associated with the scheme. Parashar emphasized the potential impact on Delhi’s female voters if the issue remains unresolved.
The controversy began when AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal announced on December 12, 2024, the initiation of this scheme, with promises to increase the aid from ₹1,000 to ₹2,100 should AAP be re-elected. However, on December 25, the Delhi government’s Women and Child Development and Health departments issued statements disassociating themselves from the scheme and another promise of free treatment for the elderly. These departments warned the public against providing personal information for what they termed “non-existent” schemes, labeling any such data collection by private individuals or political parties as fraudulent.
