The Hindu Business Line : Madras HC admits plea against bogus ration cards issue

The Madras High Court has admitted a public interest litigation pleading for an enquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the alleged issue of bogus family ration cards in Tamil Nadu.

The First Bench, comprising Chief Justice Mr A.P. Shah and Mr Justice D. Murugesan, after hearing the preliminary submission by the petitioner, Mr G. Thirumoorthy, ordered notice to the respondents, who included the Tamil Nadu Secretary for Co-operation, Food & Consumer Protection and the Commissioner of Civil Supplies & Consumer Protection.

The request of the respondent No 2 (Secretary, Dept of Co-operation & Food) to grant two weeks' time to file his counter was granted by the Bench.

The petitioner said that his brother, a retired army person living in Vettavalam village in Thiruvannamalai district, had applied for issue of a family ration card in 2003. Though he did not get the ration card, to his utter surprise, he came to know in 2005 from the village administrative officer that the card had been issued and the rations were being drawn regularly by somebody from shop no 2 of the Vettavalam Primary Agricultural Co-operative Bank.

The petitioner submitted that according to his information, the person in-charge of the ration shop was indulging in the malpractice of utilising the ration card issued in the name of his brother.

Realising that such malpractice could have been indulged in on a large scale, the petitioner, with the help of his friends, had started investigation into the scandal. He was able to gather information that a large number of ration cards was in circulation in the area, and the mischief monger was allegedly the staff of the ration shop.

The petitioner submitted that the Planning Commission in its report preceding the 9th Five-Year Plan had underlined that the public distribution system was the key element of the Government's food security system.

The Tamil Nadu Government, which was managing the PDS, had the responsibility to periodically check the utilisation of ration cards and eliminate the bogus cards in circulation. The Government procured rice at Rs 18.12 per kg and supplied to the poor people at Rs 3.50 (the price has since been fixed at Rs 2 a kg).

The petitioner said that due to the malpractice indulged in by unscrupulous elements, the Government lost heavily, and the sufferers were the poor people.

The petitioner prayed for a suitable direction to the concerned authorities to order a thorough investigation into the scam by the CBI so that the guilty were proceeded against under the law.

More Stories on : Courts/Legal Issues | Foodgrains | Social Welfare | Tamil Nadu

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