The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the Delhi High Court’s order directing the Aam Aadmi Party government to implement the Centre’s Ayushman Bharat health scheme in the national capital. The apex court also issued notice to the Centre over the matter.
Hearing the Delhi government’s plea challenging the High Court’s order, a bench of Justices B.R. Gavai and A.G. Masih stayed the directions issued by the High Court and issued notice to the Centre. The Delhi High Court had directed the AAP government to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Union health ministry for implementing the scheme by January 5.
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Passing the order in December last year, the Delhi High Court said PM-ABHIM has to be implemented in its entirety to ensure Delhi residents were not deprived of the funds and facilities under it. The High Court also said the MoU shall be signed irrespective of the model code of conduct.
Welcoming the Supreme Court’s order, AAP leader and former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said the Ayushman Bharat health scheme was the "biggest scam" in the country.
Talking to reporters, Kejriwal said, "I am happy that the Supreme Court has confirmed that it is a fake scheme. Ayushman Bharat is the biggest scam in the country. When the central government changes and an inquiry is conducted into these scams, people will realise how big a scam Ayushman Bharat truly was," PTI reported.
