New Delhi: The Supreme Court has dismissed the plea of the Kerala government challenging the High Court's order to pay commission to ration shop owners who distributed free food kits during the Covid-19 pandemic. A bench headed by Justice BV Nagarathna rejected the appeal.
The state government issued an order for food kits distribution on April 6, 2020. On July 23, 2020, it was decided to provide a commission of five rupees per kit to ration shop owners. However, the commission was only paid for two months. Subsequently, the ration shop owners filed a petition in the High Court, seeking payment for the remaining 11 months of commission.
Also Read
The High Court ruled in favour of the ration shop owners and set a deadline for payment. Despite extending this deadline, the government approached the Supreme Court without paying the commission. The Supreme Court rejected the government's appeal and questioned why the commission had not been paid despite the extended timeframe.
The government argued that the food kits were provided to ensure that people did not face hardships during the Covid-19 period. Therefore, they should be distributed free of charge based on humanitarian considerations. The government also highlighted that paying the commission would cost Rs 40 crore.
All Kerala Retail Ration Dealers Association state president Johnny Nellore and vice president Johnson Vilavinal expressed satisfaction with the court's decision, stating that it provided justice to the ration shop owners who had distributed the kits while incurring additional expenses, such as renting special rooms and hiring additional workers, during the Covid-19 period.
Published: 15 Jul 2023, 09:25 am IST
Related Topics
Disclaimer: Kindly avoid objectionable, derogatory, unlawful and lewd comments, while responding to reports. Such comments are punishable under cyber laws. Please keep away from personal attacks. The opinions expressed here are the personal opinions of readers and not that of Mathrubhumi.