Delhi HC nod for weekly offs for fair price shops in the Capital

Fair price shops were directed to function on all days of the week in April last year by the Delhi government as the pandemic spread across the Capital. Noting that the pandemic situation is not so grave as it was on April 27, 2020, the bench said, “So weekly off is permitted to fair price shops in accordance with the law.”

New Delhi: The Delhi high court on Thursday modified an order directing all the fair price shops in the city to remain open on all seven days of the week, and allowed the dealers to take a day off each week.

The plea also challenged the government’s non-PDS guidelines putting an “arbitrary” limit of 20 lakh beneficiaries for dry ration. (Raj K Raj/HT)

A bench of chief justice DN Patel and justice Jyoti Singh passed the order after the Delhi government additional standing counsel Anuj Aggarwal said that he had no objection to the application by the dealers’ association.

Fair price shops were directed to function on all days of the week in April last year by the Delhi government as the pandemic spread across the Capital.

Noting that the pandemic situation is not so grave as it was on April 27, 2020, the bench said, “So weekly off is permitted to fair price shops in accordance with the law.”

Meanwhile, the bench also directed the Delhi government to give a road map for ensuring that the needy, including among non-PDS beneficiaries, are provided with adequate dry ration amid the Covid-19 pandemic. It asked the government to give bullet points of all the work done in this regard till now and listed the matter for further hearing on October 22.

The court was hearing an application by an NGO, “Delhi Rozi Roti Adhikar Abhiyan”, which had challenged the government’s non-PDS guidelines putting an “arbitrary” limit of 20 lakh beneficiaries for dry ration.

The NGO demanded foodgrains for all the needy persons and sought direction to the AAP government to modify the May 27 guidelines to the extent that it should not be a mere one-time relief measure and that the beneficiaries should be given foodgrains for every calendar month until further orders.

Delhi government counsel Anuj Aggarwal submitted that the cap has been done away with in pursuance to the court’s June 25 order.

“We are ensuring that nobody sleeps hungry and besides dry ration, people are also provided with cooked meals,” he said.