The Delhi High Court has directed the Delhi government to devise an alternative mechanism for identifying eligible ration card beneficiaries among daily wage earners, explicitly ruling out the mandatory submission of family income certificates as a condition for accessing benefits under the Public Distribution System (PDS). The direction was issued on Wednesday, 21 May 2025, while disposing of a public interest litigation that had flagged widespread irregularities in the capital's food security database.

What the Court Directed

A bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia stated in its order: 'We direct the state government to evolve a mechanism for identification of the beneficiaries and, accordingly, issue appropriate directions for issuance of the ration cards only in case the beneficiaries are daily wage earners and not to insist on them to produce the family income certificate.' The bench further noted that authorities could utilise government officials and resources to independently ascertain family income during field verification exercises. The entire exercise must be completed within three months.

The PIL and Its Grievances

The petition, filed by Aakash Goel and argued by advocates Kumar Utkarsh, Manoj Kumar, and Devesh Pal, challenged the requirement under the Delhi Food Security Rules, 2026, which mandates income certificate submission when applying for ration cards. The plea alleged that lakhs of economically vulnerable Delhi residents were being denied food security entitlements due to administrative inaction and arbitrary policy barriers.

Citing official data, the petition claimed the Delhi ration database contains thousands of duplicate entries and over 12 lakh beneficiaries who have not completed mandatory e-KYC. It further alleged that approximately 19.71 lakh potentially purgeable entries — spanning duplicate, non-eKYC, and ineligible categories — account for nearly 27% of Delhi's total National Food Security Act (NFSA) allocation capacity of roughly 72.77 lakh beneficiaries.

Key Issues Around Ration Database Integrity

The PIL also sought directions for the allocation of ration cards to 17,20,653 approved beneficiaries and compliance with a Supreme Court order dated 20 April 2023, passed in a suo motu matter, directing states to issue ration cards to e-Shram registrants outside the statutory cap under the National Food Security Act, 2013.

During the hearing, advocate Kumar Utkarsh referred to Central government guidelines issued on 8 July 2025, under which states were asked to undertake field verification and 'data cleansing' of ration card databases wherever ineligibility was established, with the exercise to be completed by 30 September 2025. The court observed that the responsibility for identifying beneficiaries rests squarely with the state government.

Next Steps

The bench permitted petitioner Aakash Goel to submit a fresh representation before the Principal Secretary, Department of Food, Supplies and Consumer Affairs, within two weeks, along with all supporting documents. The Delhi government has been directed to examine the issues raised and take a decision 'with expedition'. The court's order marks a significant push toward a more inclusive and verification-based approach to food security delivery in the capital, with the three-month deadline setting a firm accountability clock.