New Delhi: The Supreme Court Friday sought response from Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) VK Saxena on the stopping of funds for the Delhi government’s Farishtey scheme promising free medical treatment for road accident victims.
At the beginning of the hearing, the apex court was informed that the L-G office has not filed the response in the matter. A bench comprising Justices BR Gavai and Sandeep Mehta orally remarked, "Ask your L-G not to make every issue a prestige issue”. Senior advocate Sanjay Jain, appearing for L-G, submitted that this petition is a classic case of a storm in a teacup as it was much ado about nothing.
The bench asked LG to file an affidavit in two weeks after Sanjay Jain contended that the client's office was not involved in the matter. Jain clarified that the L-G is not involved in the matter and the scheme is run by a society headed by the Delhi Health Minister.
Jain claimed that the Health Minister conducted a meeting on January 2 and released the funds. “It is not a matter where there was an issue between the Council of Ministers and L-G”, said Jain.
After hearing Jain’s submissions, the top court asked him to file an affidavit to this effect. "If we find the minister has taken us for a ride, we will impose exemplary cost…”, said the bench.
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi and advocate Shadan Farasat, representing the Delhi government, replied that the position will be clear once the affidavit is filed. Singhvi said the court may reserve its observations till the reply is filed.
On December 8, last year, the Supreme Court issued notice to LG’s office and others on a plea by the AAP government for release of funds for its 'Farishtey Dilli Ke’ scheme. The scheme provides free treatment to accident victims. The bench had said, “We don't understand this, one wing of the government is fighting with another wing of the government”.
The 'Farishtey Dilli Ke' scheme encourages people to rescue road accident victims. The government, under the scheme, foots hospital bills of those who have met with accidents in the city. The plea contended that hospitals are now reluctant to accept accident victims and this scheme has practically become defunct for more than a year since payments to the majority of the hospitals have not been made.
The plea sought immediate re-operationalisation of the scheme by clearing pending bills, releasing timely payments to private hospitals and initiating disciplinary action against officials responsible for deliberately orchestrating the "de-operationalisation" of the scheme. The plea contended that despite repeated reminders and directions by the Department of Health and Family Welfare and the concerned minister regarding clearance of pending bills of the private hospitals, the defaulting officials neither cleared the pending bills nor made timely payments to the private hospitals, which have provided cashless treatment to victims of road accidents.
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