A petition was filed in the Supreme Court on Saturday demanding quashing of the Food Security Ordinance on the ground that it amounted to misusing Constitutional provision to serve political end.
With the President giving assent to the Ordinance, the same came into force on Friday. The Ordinance has promised subsidised food grains to nearly two-third poor population in the country. About five kilograms of food grains would reach every household at a highly subsidised rate of Rs 1-3 per kg.
Citing Article 123 of the Constitution which allows the President power to promulgate Ordinance during Parliament recess, the petition filed by advocate Ml Sharma questioned the “emergency” behind rushing with the Ordinance than having waited for the Parliament to convene during the Monsoon Session expected next month. Alleging that the Ordinance was nothing but a pre-election propaganda as election to six States is in the offing, the petition put forth the question as to whether Article 123 can be misused by political parties in power as their pre-election propaganda to serve political purpose.
It further doubted the seriousness of the executive to enact such a law when the Government was yet to comply with the direction passed by the Supreme Court to provide food grain to the poorest of the poor districts. Instead, the Centre has released a Food Bill via Ordinance route for securing political mileage for their election mandate.