HC orders publicity for waiver on PDS forms

MUMBAI, MARCH 17: The Bombay High Court today directed the state government to give wide publicity to its circular waiving details of tax...

MUMBAI, MARCH 17: The Bombay High Court today directed the state government to give wide publicity to its circular waiving details of taxes, telephones and personal vehicles in its application forms in the drive towards grading users of the public distribution system PDS. The last date for the submission of the forms has been extended from March 15 to March 31.

Last month the state government had launched its drive to grade its PDS users into categories where those earning more than Rs one lakh per annum would get a white ration card allowing them only sugar and kerosene in the PDS, those earning less than Rs one lakh but more than Rs 15,000 would get a saffron card enabling them to get wheat and rice at higher prices in the PDS while those earning less than Rs 15,000, below the poverty line would get wheat and rice at subsidised rates.

In the court today, the division bench of Chief Justice Y K Sabharwal and Justice S Radhakrishnan gave the directions after assistant government pleader Sandeep Shinde told the court that the Rationing Office had already sent a circular telling its officers that the details of income taxes, land holdings etc need not to be filled by the citizens. Citizens now need not fill the other details and could just mention the amount of their annual salary.

The matter came up in response to a petition filed by D K Ghaisas and others who challenged the need for furnishing personal details like income taxes paid, etc in a drive which sought to only categorise PDS users.

In their defence, the state government counsel said that the circular had already been sent and read out a single column article in a Marathi newspaper, Navakal announcing it. However, counsel for the petitioners, P M Pradhan argued that rationing officers were unaware of it and were unwilling to accept forms that did not give the relevant details.

The division bench held that announcing it in only one newspaper was not enough and directed that notices be published in English and Marathi newspapers.