VIJAYAWADA : The High Court of Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday struck down the Public Interest Litigation filed by three women seeking suspension of the orders issued by the Election Commission of India, barring volunteers from disbursing pensions at the doorstep of the beneficiaries.
The bench of Chief Justice Dheeraj Singh Thakur and Justice Rao Raghunandan Rao heard the case.
Petitioners’ counsel G Sivaprasad Reddy submitted to the court that beneficiaries had to stand in long queues to get their pensions from the village and ward secretariats. He said people with kidney-related and other ailments were facing hurdles in the process.
The bench sought to know what alternative arrangements the government had taken to disburse pensions.
Representing the ECI, senior counsel Avinash Desai said the State government is taking steps to deliver pensions to elderly beneficiaries and those who are suffering with ailments, while the others have to collect the money from the village/ward secretariats.
He informed the court that a memo was issued on April 2 and the same arrangements would continue for May and June. The bench expressed satisfaction over the alternative arrangements.