Delhi High Court seeks basis for MP/MLA letters in Lakshmi Yojana

Women seeking ₹2,500 a month under the Delhi Lakshmi Yojana may still need an endorsement letter from an MP or MLA, but the Delhi High Court has asked the government to justify the condition within 10 days.

A bench led by Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia said there were other ways to establish whether an applicant was identifiable and eligible. “It’s not an MP scheme, it’s a government scheme,” the bench said while seeking the government’s rationale.

Former councillors Abhishekh Dutt and Vedpal Sheetal Chaudhary filed the petition. It challenges several eligibility conditions, including the endorsement letter, a three-child criterion and a 10-year Delhi residency requirement. The petition says the endorsement rule can disadvantage women without political access or connections.

Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma told the court that the letter requirement was intended to ensure benefits reached identifiable, eligible applicants. He said more than 600,000 people had registered.

The government plans to begin distributing benefit letters at Talkatora Stadium on August 26. The court will hear the matter again on September 17.