New Delhi, Mar 17 (UNI) The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Centre to respond on the cancellation of around 30 million ration cards not linked with Aadhaar cards across the country between 2013 and 2016, leading to alleged denial of rations and starvation deaths.
A bench of Chief Justice SA Bobde and justices AS Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), filed by a woman from Jharkhand.
According to the plea, Koili Devi, mother of an 11-year-old girl, had allegedly died of starvation on September 28, 2017 following denial of food in the absence of ration card.
Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, representing the petitioner said in the plea, “Insistence on Aadhaar and biometric authentication had led to the cancellation of nearly 4 crore ration cards in the country according to the Union of India. The Union of India casually gives an explanation that these cancelled cards were bogus.”
The bench then noted, “The matter is too serious. We have to hear it.”
The bench told Gonsalves that the relief sought is very omnibus and widened the scope of the matter. CJI Bobde observed that the deaths are taking place among the tribes and the subject figures in the State list. The government should look into the matter, he added.
Additional Solicitor General Aman Lekhi, representing the Centre, termed the plea as misconceived.
“There is a grievance redressal system under the Food Security Act. This court has already sought responses from the State governments on this. The plea, as being pressed, is completely misconceived because there is an absolute clarity that if Aadhaar is not available, alternative documents can be submitted. We have clearly said Aadhaar or no Aadhaar, it will not deny right to food,” said Lekhi.
After hearing the counsel, the court said it would hear the PIL in detail after three weeks.
