The Rajasthan Government has moved the Supreme Court challenging a High Court decision to stay the implementation of its “Bhamasha scheme”, providing financial assistance to 50 lakh women from BPL families, as it “violated” the Election Commission’s model code of conduct.

Following brief submissions by senior counsel Mukul Rohtagi, appearing for the state, a bench of Justices B N Aggrawal and G S Singhvi agreed to take up the matter for hearing on November 7.

On October 21, the Rajasthan High Court had stayed the implementation of the scheme on a writ petition complaining that the scheme announced by the state Government was violative of the election code of conduct as dates had already been announced for the Assembly elections.

Rohtagi termed the High Court order as being erroneous, as the scheme was announced in February this year much before the election dates were announced.

He said it was a Central Government scheme and the Reserve Bank of India had issued circulars as far back as in 2006 to banks for inclusion of 50 lakh beneficiaries in each state under the ‘Bhamasha Financial Empowerment and Women Welfare Scheme’. The scheme envisaged providing incentive of Rs 1,500 to each of the families besides providing medical insurance cover to the tune of Rs 30,000 each.