SC to hear plea on guidelines for welfare insurance schemes
The Supreme Court has sought responses from the Centre and the Life Insurance Corporation of India on a plea seeking a direction to the LIC to frame and implement disability-sensitive guidelines for welfare insurance schemes.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta agreed to hear the plea, which sought a direction to the Centre to exercise policy oversight to ensure that welfare insurance schemes for persons with disabilities are implemented in conformity with the guarantees under Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution.
While Article 14 deals with equality before law, Article 21 pertains to the protection of life and personal liberty.
“Issue notice, returnable within four weeks,” the bench said in its April 13 order.
The petition has sought a direction to the LIC to frame and implement disability-sensitive guidelines for welfare insurance schemes, including ‘Jeevan Aadhar’ policy. The LIC’s ‘Jeevan Aadhar’ policy may be offered to an individual who has a handicapped dependant satisfying conditions as specified in Section 80DDA of the Income Tax Act, 1961. It provides life insurance cover throughout the lifetime of the purchaser.
Section 80DDA of the Income Tax Act pertains to a deduction in respect of a deposit made for the maintenance of a handicapped dependent.
The plea has sought a direction that claims under such welfare insurance schemes involving beneficiaries with intellectual, mental and congenital disabilities resulting in inability to independently understand, communicate or assert contractual and legal rights, be decided on a case-by-case basis through reasoned, humane and non-mechanical decision-making processes.
It said the LIC be directed to frame a policy whereby annuity for persons with disabilities under ‘Jeevan Aadhar’ shall commence automatically upon the policyholder attaining the age of 60 years, or such age as may be specified.
