Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi

New Delhi, Feb 20: The Supreme Court has strongly criticized the Allahabad High Court for issuing an interim order in a case related to a food distribution scheme for lactating mothers and young children, despite the matter already being under consideration by the apex court in State of Uttar Pradesh and Ors v. Pratyush Rawat and Ors.

A bench comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and Manmohan expressed concern over the High Court’s actions, stating that it amounted to an attempt to overreach the Supreme Court. The bench emphasized that the High Court should have waited for further directions rather than issuing fresh interim orders. The Court noted that such actions were neither warranted nor desirable under the circumstances and called for greater responsibility from the High Court in the future.

The Supreme Court set aside the High Court’s "wholly unreasoned" interim order from November 11, 2024, which had abruptly halted the Uttar Pradesh government’s food supply scheme for lactating mothers and young children under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme. The High Court had issued the order while hearing a petition challenging a tender process related to the scheme.

The Uttar Pradesh government subsequently challenged the order before the Supreme Court, which on December 19, 2024, stayed its operation. The top court remarked that halting the supply of essential food items without a valid reason was unjustified. However, a day later, on December 20, the High Court modified its earlier order, allowing the food scheme to continue for the third and fourth quarters of 2024-25 in light of the Supreme Court’s observations.

On February 17, 2025, the Supreme Court expressed surprise over the High Court’s decision to issue a fresh order despite the stay granted in December. Consequently, the Supreme Court set aside all interim directions issued by the High Court in the case. The bench reiterated that the November 11 restraining order was passed without justification and noted that it had come more than three years after the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed.

With the High Court now having reserved its final verdict in the PIL concerning the food distribution tender, the Supreme Court clarified that the Uttar Pradesh government must continue implementing the scheme while ensuring quality control until a final decision is reached.

The Uttar Pradesh government was represented by Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, along with Advocates Yasharth Kant, Poornima Singh, Suryaansh Kishan Razdan, and Sonal Kushwah. The respondents were represented by Advocates Abhinav Shrivastava, Shivang Rawat, and RP Singh.