Put Together Accountability Mechanism For Ration Under NFSA Within 2 weeks: Delhi HC to AAP Govt

The Delhi High Court on Friday gave the Delhi Government two weeks to put in place an accountability mechanism for ration under the National Food Security Act (NFSA).

The direction was issued by a Bench comprising Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice VK Rao on a PIL filed by the Delhi Rozi Roti Adhikar Abhiyan (DRRAA) regarding the implementation of the NFSA in Delhi. DRRAA was represented by Senior Advocate Sanjay Parikh and Advocates Prasanna and Apar Gupta.

During the hearing, DRRAA pointed out that despite passage of more than 4 years from the time NFSA was launched in Delhi, the government had failed to implement its accountability provisions. They had further submitted that Delhi does not have a functioning State Food Commission or a mechanism for social audit, which is required to be undertaken periodically.

The bench is then understood to have taken serious note of the gaps in the implementation of the Act’s transparency and accountability provisions.

The High Court had, in September last year as well, pulled up the Delhi Government for its failure to frame rules under the NFSA, including those related to transparency, grievance redress and accountability provisions. It had then directed the government to frame rules and operationalise all provisions of the law in a time-bound manner to ensure proper functioning of ration shops in Delhi.

The DRRAA, however, now pointed out that this order had not been complied with. Taking note of the submission, the bench has now given the Delhi government two weeks to ensure compliance, failing which strict action has been warned of.