A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in the Bombay High Court on Friday against the ‘Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana’ and ‘Mukhyamantri Yuva Karya Prashikshan Yojna’ schemes announced by the Maharashtra State government in the 2024–2025 budget. The scheme promises to provide monthly financial assistance to women and men.
Appearing for the petitioner, advocate Owais Anwar Pechkar filed the PIL on August 1 and sought an urgent hearing of the plea on August 5 and an interim order to stay implementation of the scheme, as the amount will be disbursed to beneficiaries later this month. In a praecipe, the petitioner said, “Due to the Government’s schemes like Ladki Bahin Yojana there is an additional burden on direct and indirect taxpayers and the exchequer. Taxes are for infrastructure development and not for irrational cash schemes. The scheme costs around ₹ 4,600 crore, which is a huge burden for a debt-ridden State that already owes ₹ 7.8 lakhs crores. Therefore, petitioner prays for a stay on such schemes.”
However, a Division Bench of judges comprising Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Amit Borkar refused to hear the matter urgently on August 2 and August 5 and have listed the matter for hearing as per the auto-listing system on August 6.