Delhi HC directs Centre on welfare schemes implementation for de-notified nomadic, semi-nomadic tribes

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court, presided over by Justice Mini Pushkarna, has directed the Union Government to submit an affidavit outlining the current status of the implementation of welfare schemes aimed at benefiting de-notified Nnmadic and semi-nomadic tribes.

Advocate Dinesh P. Rajbhar had moved a contempt plea, asserting non-compliance of a previous order issued in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking to secure constitutional and legal rights for these tribes.

The original order, dated July 22, 2022, disposed of the PIL filed by Salek Chand Jain after being satisfied with the Union Government's efforts to integrate de-notified Tribes into the country's mainstream.

Granting a four-week period for the Central government to file the required affidavit, Justice Pushkarna addressed the Union Government's preliminary objection regarding the contempt petition's maintainability, saying that the directions in the PIL were of a general nature.

The petitioner's lawyer argued that the contempt plea was valid since the PIL's directions were general, allowing for allegations of non-compliance.

The court noted that an RTI application filed by the petitioner's lawyer had sought information on the schemes and budgetary allocation for denotified nomadic tribes.

The response from the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment indicated that the Scheme for Economic Empowerment of De-Notified Tribes (SEED) was in the implementation stage, with benefits to be provided on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Expressing dissatisfaction with the response's lack of details on the welfare scheme's implementation, the court has scheduled the next hearing for April 15.