Pension row: HC seeks AAP govt, MCDs response on contempt plea

The Delhi High Court today sought response of Delhi Chief Secretary and three MCD commissioners on a plea seeking contempt proceedings against them for not giving the list of beneficiaries of aged and disabled people pension schemes to the Delhi government.
While disposing of the PIL, the division bench of the high court had directed all the three MCDs to furnish list of the old aged pension beneficiaries under the MCD schemes to Delhi government within four weeks.
It had also directed Delhi government to process payment cases after receiving the lists and other particulars from the MCDs.
Justice J R Midha, however, issued notice to the authorities concerned after it was told that they were "willfully and deliberately disobeying and not complying with the court's" order passed on January 20.

Advocate Ashok Aggarwal, appearing for NGO Social Jurist, submitted the authorities have failed to do so resulting in continuous non-payment of stipend/pension amount of Rs 1000 per month to over two lakh destitute for the last three years.
Initially, the petitioner had filed PIL highlighting the fact that East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) had abruptly stopped paying the pensions to nearly 44800 disabled/widow/old aged persons who were allowed stipend/pension under the MCD pension schemes.

The court was informed that the said action on the part of EDMC was arbitrary, illegal, unjustified and also in utter violation of fundamental right to life of affected persons.

During the pendency of the PIL, the NDMC, SDMC and Delhi government were impleaded as respondents.
As per the SDMC 81,800 persons were the beneficiaries and were not paid stipend/pension due to financial crunch.
It was submitted that nearly two lakh old aged pensioners were denied monthly pensions/stipends by three MCD that badly affected the lives of these two lakh old aged persons.
On which, the court had asked Delhi government to process the payment after receiving the lists and other particulars from the MCDs.
The court has now fixed the matter for further hearing on May 3.