Chandigarh, Aug 8 — The Punjab and Haryana High Court has termed the Chandigarh administration’s income limit for economically weaker section (EWS) admissions to a group home for persons with mental and intellectual disabilities as outdated and unreasonable, urging authorities to revisit the criteria.
The observation came from Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sanjiv Berry while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the administration’s admission norms for the Sector 31 group home. The petitioner, who filed the plea in April, questioned several conditions, including the ₹1.5 lakh annual income ceiling for EWS applicants.
Under the current policy, 25% of the twin-sharing rooms in the facility are reserved for EWS candidates. Anyone earning above ₹1.5 lakh a year is ineligible. The Union Territory’s counsel told the court the limit was set in May 2016, based on even older data, under an order from the Department of Food Supplies, Consumer Affairs and Legal Metrology.
“This order was issued nearly a decade ago, based on some data collected even earlier. But, despite the passage of more than a decade, the said criteria has not been revised, which appears to be quite unreasonable, especially considering the inflationary trends in the past ten years,” the bench said, asking the UT to reconsider the cap.
The administration’s lawyer added that a meeting chaired by the UT administrator is expected soon, during which the issues raised in the petition will be discussed. The court expressed confidence that the welfare objectives of the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017, would guide the administration in addressing the “shortcomings, anomalies and loopholes” identified by the petitioner.
The PIL also challenges the administration’s requirement for general category applicants to deposit a one-time security fund of ₹20 lakh. The petitioner further sought the court’s intervention to make the facility operational, pointing out that it has remained locked since July 2024 despite construction being completed last year.
The UT had invited applications for admission on February 17 this year, but no residents have yet been accommodated.
Built at a cost of over ₹35 crore, the group home is designed to house 90 residents and features landscaped gardens, courtyards, and a therapeutic campus for people with mental health needs. Monthly charges are set at ₹16,000 for a twin-sharing room, ₹25,000 for a single room, and ₹35,000 for a suite. Additional costs include electricity, vocational classes, cross-subsidy charges, and an annual 5% fee hike.
The next hearing is scheduled for September 11.
