Back
Why Voter ID Mandatory for Women's Scheme Benefits? Asks State
The has asked the Punjab government to explain why a Voter ID card is mandatory for women seeking benefits under the Mukh Mantri Mawan Dheeyan Satkar Yojana , a scheme providing monthly income support. A Division Bench of Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor issued the direction on in .
A welfare scheme with an electoral sting
The scheme was notified on . Clause 9 specifies the documents a woman must produce to receive benefits. , the petitioner, contends that the mandatory requirement of a Voter ID card of Punjab State — issued by the — reveals that the scheme's real object is to secure votes for the ruling dispensation.
Petitioner: mandatory Voter ID is vote-seeking
The petitioner argued that while a Voter ID could be one of the documents for identification, making it compulsory
"manifests its purpose i.e., to act as a
for securing votes."
It added that this
"clearly indicates that object of Scheme is only to secure votes from the beneficiaries."
State stalls, court fixes October 5
Appearing for Punjab,
opposed the petitioner's claim but sought an
to obtain instructions. The Court recorded:
"Learned Additional Advocate General, Punjab opposes the petitioner's claim and seeks
in order to obtain instructions and clarify the purpose for which Voter ID card is made mandatory for grant of benefit under the Scheme."
The Bench adjourned the matter to . No final order was passed on the . For now, the immediate burden is on the State to clarify why a welfare benefit is tied to Voter ID.
