Decide on protection for petitioner against freebie schemes of govt: HC

The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court has directed the city police commissioner to decide on protection to an activist who filed a petition against Maharashtra government's "unregulated freebie" schemes, including the Ladki Bahin Yojana. A division bench of Justices Vinay Joshi and Abhay Mantri on Tuesday said it was the duty of the state to protect the life and liberty of every citizen. The bench directed the Nagpur police commissioner to decide on the applications filed by social activist Anil Wadapalliwar, seeking police protection expeditiously. Wadapalliwar had filed a public interest litigation against distribution of freebies by the state government. The PIL sought that the HC declare as illegal the distribution of state largesse in nature of "unrestricted freebies and unregulated and irrational doles" to a particular section of the public at large. Such schemes were a derogation of fundamental rights and cast a heavy burden on the state exchequer which in furtherance .