Delhi government vs bureaucrats again over cancellation of over 2.9 lakh ration cards

Agencies

August 21, 2018

New Delhi, Aug 21: The Delhi government on Monday alleged that Food Commissioner Mohanjeet Singh has decided to cancel more than 2.9 lakh ration cards without proper inspection, setting the stage for another round of tussle between the AAP dispensation and the bureaucracy.

Rejecting the government's allegation, Singh said 2.48 lakh "ineligible" ration card holders have been deleted after following "due process of law".

The cancellation of ration cards has remained a thorny issue between the political leadership and the bureaucracy for some time.

In April, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Imran Hussain alleged Singh was "bent on" cancelling three lakh ration cards without proper verification.

In May, Hussain wrote to Singh, directing him to restore supply of ration to those who have not received it from January to March. The department had stopped distribution of ration to people who had not gotten themselves verified by food and supplies officers by then.

Today, Singh said the exercise undertaken by his department "must be one of its kind" and the Public Distribution System has been "cleansed and sanitised". He said ration "worth crores were saved from pilferage".

Singh also said he has recommended to the government for restoration of the E-POS (electronic point of sale) system, which the government had put on hold.

The government said Singh took the decision despite "strong objection" from Hussain.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal took strong exception to the food commissioner's decision, and his government has warned disciplinary action would be taken against the officers concerned.

In a statement the government said, "Since these officers do not report to the elected government, therefore they are working against the interests of the people of Delhi, which is a very serious matter."

It stated that the department's officers have "failed" to appreciate the adverse social impact of cancellation of 2.93 lakh ration cards covering more than 10 lakh beneficiaries. "All such families and members in one go would be rendered hungry because of the insensitive, apathetic, hostile, inhuman attitude of the officers," it stated.

It has been been informed that the cancellation process has been undertaken without door-to-door survey of households, the government said. "The cancellation is being done by officers sitting in their offices without any field inspection and without following due process of law. Such acts of commission or omission make the acts of public servants suspicious. Their conduct may invite disciplinary action against the concerned officers," it added.

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‘Pay the worker before his sweat dries’: Madras High Court cites Prophet Muhammad’s teaching while ordering settlement of dues

News Network

December 21,2025

Invoking the teachings of Prophet Muhammad—“pay the worker before his sweat dries”—the Madras High Court has directed a municipal corporation to settle long-pending legal dues owed to a former counsel. The court observed that this principle reflects basic fairness and applies equally to labour and service-related disputes.

Justice G. R. Swaminathan made the observation while hearing a petition filed by advocate P. Thirumalai, who claimed that the Madurai City Municipal Corporation failed to pay him legal fees amounting to ₹13.05 lakh. Earlier, the High Court had asked the corporation to consider his representation. However, a later order rejected a major portion of his claim, prompting the present petition.

The court allowed Thirumalai to approach the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) and submit a list of cases in which he had appeared. It also directed the corporation to settle the verified fee bills within two months, without interest. The court noted that the petitioner had waited nearly 18 years before challenging the non-payment and that the corporation could not be fully blamed, as the fee bills were not submitted properly.

‘A Matter of Embarrassment’

Justice Swaminathan described it as a “matter of embarrassment” that the State has nearly a dozen Additional Advocate Generals. He observed that appointing too many law officers often leads to unnecessary allocation of work and frequent adjournments, as government counsel claim that senior officers are engaged elsewhere.

He expressed hope that such practices would end at least in the Madurai Bench of the High Court and added that Additional Advocate Generals should “turn a new leaf” from 2026 onwards.

‘Scandalously High Amounts’

While stating that the court cannot examine the exact fees paid to senior counsel or law officers, Justice Swaminathan stressed that good governance requires public funds to be used prudently. He expressed concern over the “scandalously high amounts” paid by government and quasi-government bodies to a few favoured law officers.

In contrast, the court noted that Thirumalai’s total claim was “a pittance” considering the large number of cases he had handled.

Background

Thirumalai served as the standing counsel for the Madurai City Municipal Corporation for more than 14 years, from 1992 to 2006. During this period, he represented the corporation in about 818 cases before the Madurai District Courts.

As the former counsel was unable to hire a clerk to obtain certified copies of judgments in all 818 cases, the court directed the District Legal Services Authority to collect the certified copies within two months. The court further ordered the corporation to bear the cost incurred by the DLSA and deduct that amount from the final settlement payable to the petitioner.

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