The High Court of Telangana has directed the State Civil Supplies Commissioner to ensure that essential ration is provided free of cost to the poor without subjecting them to biometric scanning during the lockdown period.
The division bench comprising Justice MS Ramachandra Rao and Justice K Lakshman was hearing a petition filed by a social activist, SQ Masood who has contended the State Government has deprived the poor families lying below poverty line of essential food by cancelling a large number of white ration cards.
The bench passing the order exempting the poor from biometric scanning observed that “Tribals work in extreme conditions and going by their age and other factors, their fingerprints get erased. Given this, insisting on biometric scanning will deprive them of the essentials that they badly need now.”
The bench further directed the State Government to ensure that migrant labourers from other states also be provided with 12 kg rice free of cost along with other essentials.
Advocate General BS Prasad appearing for the State Government submitted that the government was taking steps to ensure that every poor including those whose ration cards have been cancelled receive essential food amid COVID 19 lockdown.
The bench has listed the matter for next hearing on June 2.
-India Legal Bureau