Raj Kishor and Another v. State of U.P. and Another
Case brief
What is this about?
Allahabad High Court Division Bench (Arun Bhansali, CJ; Kshitij Shailendra, J) dismissed PIL No. 297 of 2025 on 6.3.2025 (neutral citation 2025:AHC:32555-DB). Petition by social workers/RTI activists sought enhancement of Village Panchayat Members' meeting attendance honorarium from Rs.100/- to Rs.487/- per day. Court held the payment is honorarium and the foregone-livelihood plea was untenable; petitioners lacked locus standi as the affected members could move the Court themselves. Keywords: PIL dismissed, locus standi, RTI activist, social worker, Village Panchayat Member honorarium, Uttar Pradesh Panchayat, Vinay Bhushan Upadhyay for petitioner, Rajiv Singh S.C. for respondents.
What did the court decide?
The payment made to elected Village Panchayat Members is in the nature of honorarium; the claim that it should be enhanced because members forego their livelihood on days they attend meetings cannot be countenanced.