The High Court of Andhra Pradesh on April 3 (Wednesday) struck down a PIL filed by three women from Guntur district seeking declaration of the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) order (dated March 30, 2024) barring the ward and village volunteers from distributing social security pensions, as violative of Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution, besides being against the principles of natural justice.
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With that main contention, the petitioners wanted the court to direct the ECI to recall its instructions to the State Chief Electoral Officer to keep volunteers away from the distribution of pensions.
One of their arguments was that a petition filed by the Citizens for Democracy (CfD) in the High Court, which resulted in the court ruling that the ECI should restrain the volunteers from distributing pensions, was politically motivated.
The High Court was of the opinion that the PIL was not maintainable as the government made necessary arrangements for disbursing pensions at the ward and village secretariats and at the doorstep to those beneficiaries who could not personally come because of old age or physical disabilities.