NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the Delhi High Court’s order directing the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Delhi government for the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) scheme in the national capital.
A bench of Justices BR Gavai and AG Masih passed the order, staying the Delhi High Court’s ruling. The top court also issued notice and sought a detailed response from the Centre on the Delhi government’s plea challenging the HC’s decision.
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing the Delhi government, argued before the apex court that the High Court could not force the Delhi government to sign the MoU with the Centre.
“The Delhi High Court order is incorrect,” Singhvi said, adding that if the MoU were signed, the Union government would bear 60% of the capital expenditure, while the Delhi government would be responsible for 40%. However, Singhvi pointed out that the Centre would not bear any running expenditure.
He further argued that the reach and coverage of the Delhi government’s own health scheme were significantly larger than the PM-ABHIM.
The top court was hearing a plea from the Delhi government challenging the HC’s Dec 2024 order, which directed the AAP government to sign the MoU with the Centre by January 5 for the implementation of PM-ABHIM, despite the imposition of the Model Code of Conduct during the lead-up to the assembly elections.