National Food Security Act, 2013

The Supreme Court, acting suo motu, examined the hardships faced by migrant labourers during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially the lack of food and welfare benefits. It noted that many migrants were not covered by the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and therefore could not access dry rations. The Court directed the C…

The petitioners challenged a 2016 Maharashtra tender for supplying ready‑to‑cook food to Anganwadi centres, alleging that the tender’s conditions – mandatory use of extrusion technology, a turnover threshold of Rs 1 crore and requirement of automated production units – were arbitrary and excluded Mahila Mandals and sel…

The petitioners, Anganwadi workers and helpers employed under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme in Gujarat, sought gratuity benefits under the Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972. The Gujarat High Court’s Division Bench held that they were not employees and thus ineligible for gratuity, overturning an e…

The petitioners, claiming to be social activists, filed a writ petition under Article 32 seeking that the Union and State governments formulate and implement Community Kitchens to combat hunger, malnutrition and starvation, and also sought a National Food Grid beyond the Public Distribution Scheme. The Court noted that…

The Supreme Court, hearing Suo Motu Writ Petition No. 6 of 2020 concerning the problems of migrant labourers, reviewed the compliance of earlier directions that mandated the Central Government to develop the NDUW and eShram portals for registering unorganised workers and to ensure the distribution of foodgrains under t…

The Supreme Court examined a writ petition under Art. 32 challenging the failure of several State Governments and Union Territories to implement mandatory provisions of the National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFS Act), including grievance redressal officers, State Food Commissions, social audits and vigilance committees.…

The State of West Bengal and others appealed against a Calcutta High Court order that had quashed a notification cancelling Fair Price Shop (FPS) vacancies. The vacancy had been declared in January 2014, and the applicant, Gitashree Dutta, was selected but not appointed before the State issued a cancellation notice in …

The appellant, a father, lost his five‑year‑old son when a tanker struck the boy as they walked to school on a road that had no footpath or pedestrian crossing. The father filed a claim for Rs 25,00,000 before the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal, which awarded Rs 7,82,000 with interest; the High Court later reduced the …

The NGO Avyaan Foundation filed a public‑interest writ seeking a mandamus directing the Union and State governments to construct feeding and child‑care rooms in public places for nursing mothers. The petition argued that lack of such facilities infringes the fundamental rights of mothers and children, invoking Article …

The Supreme Court heard a public‑interest writ petition filed by Swaraj Abhiyan seeking comprehensive food‑security measures for persons affected by drought, including provision of food grains, dal, edible oil and enhanced mid‑day meals. The petitioners argued that the non‑implementation of the National Food Security A…

Swaraj Abhiyan filed a public‑interest writ petition seeking higher monetary relief for crop loss, effective management of fodder banks and loan restructuring for farmers affected by drought. The Union of India contended that the relief amounts and related schemes are governed by the Disaster Management Act, 2005 and e…

The petition, filed under Article 32 as a public‑interest litigation, challenged the nationwide closure of Anganwadi Centres during the COVID‑19 pandemic and sought their reopening and the provision of nutrition to pregnant women, lactating mothers, adolescent girls and children up to six years as mandated by Sections …