{"id":64901,"date":"2026-01-22T17:42:46","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T12:12:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=64901"},"modified":"2026-01-23T12:28:16","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T06:58:16","slug":"sc-freebies-welfare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/22-01-2026\/sc-freebies-welfare","title":{"rendered":"Freebies\u2019 Different from Investing in Welfare for the Marginalised: SC"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/Polity and Governance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The SC has distinguished <strong>welfare schemes from freebies,<\/strong> stating that large-scale distribution of state money to individuals is different from investing in public welfare.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A batch of petitions seek a <strong>judicial declaration that irrational freebies offered by political parties<\/strong> to lure voters during poll time should be considered a \u201ccorrupt practice\u201d.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>SC Observations:<\/strong> Welfare schemes like <strong>free healthcare and education<\/strong> are a constitutional obligation under the <strong>Directive Principles of State Policy.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Court expressed concern that unregulated freebies strain State finances, increase public debt, and reduce funds for long-term development.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Bench warned that excessive freebies may encourage dependency, discouraging work and participation in economic growth.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What are Freebies?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Freebies <\/strong>are non-merit, consumption-based benefits that do not create long-term public assets and are usually meant for immediate relief or electoral appeal.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Often the practice is used by political parties offering free goods, services, or subsidies to the public, particularly during election campaigns, in an attempt to garner votes.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The word <strong>&#8220;revdi&#8221;<\/strong> is used metaphorically to describe the free handouts, as it evokes the image of distributing free gifts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Section 123 of the RP Act deals with \u2018corrupt practices\u2019<\/strong>, it says that it is deemed a corrupt practice if any gift, offer or promise of gratification is made to voters directly or indirectly by a candidate or his agent or any other person acting on their consent.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Arguments in Favour of Freebies:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Social Welfare: <\/strong>Freebies can provide immediate relief to economically disadvantaged sections, helping reduce poverty and inequality.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Empowerment: <\/strong>They can empower marginalized groups, especially women, students, and low-income families, by providing opportunities they might otherwise not afford, like free education or cash transfers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Boost to Consumption: <\/strong>Offering free goods or services, like free electricity or gas, can increase disposable income, allowing people to spend more on other necessities, thereby stimulating the economy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Incentive for Governance:<\/strong> Freebies can also act as a measure of how well a government is meeting the basic needs of its citizens, acting as a direct reflection of governance efficiency.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Arguments Against Freebies<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Financial Burden:<\/strong> The cost of providing freebies can strain government finances, diverting resources from long-term development projects like infrastructure, healthcare, and education.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Dependency:<\/strong> Freebies may create a dependency on the state, discouraging self-reliance and a culture of entitlement, instead of encouraging people to seek sustainable opportunities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Inefficiency:<\/strong> Freebies often do not address the root causes of poverty or economic inequality, focusing on short-term solutions rather than creating lasting opportunities for growth and employment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Populist Politics: <\/strong>The distribution of freebies can be seen as a way for political parties to manipulate voter sentiment and secure votes, undermining the integrity of elections and democratic processes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Unsustainable: <\/strong>The long-term sustainability of freebies is questionable, as governments may struggle to maintain such schemes without affecting fiscal health or leading to increased taxes for the general population.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Important SC Judgements Related to Freebies:&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>S. Subramaniam Balaji vs. State of Tamil Nadu (2013): <\/strong>The Supreme Court upheld the right of political parties to offer freebies but emphasized that the distribution of freebies should be done responsibly.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It stated that only an individual candidate, not his party, can commit a \u2018corrupt practice\u2019 under the RP Act by promising free gifts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on Freebies (2022): : <\/strong>In this case, the Supreme Court refrained from passing any immediate judgment but asked the Election Commission of India to look into the matter and come up with recommendations.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The court also raised concerns about the long-term sustainability of such promises and their impact on governance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Regulation:<\/strong> The government could introduce clear guidelines to regulate the distribution of freebies, ensuring they are targeted and aligned with long-term welfare goals rather than just electoral promises.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Electoral Reform: <\/strong>The Election Commission could enforce stricter rules on the distribution of freebies during election periods, limiting excessive promises and ensuring they do not affect the fairness of elections.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Fiscal Responsibility:<\/strong> States and the central government need to adopt more fiscally responsible policies to ensure that any welfare schemes are financially sustainable and do not lead to a debt burden.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Public Awareness: <\/strong>Educating the public about the implications of freebies and encouraging a demand for policies that provide long-term solutions, such as infrastructure development and job creation, could shift the focus toward growth-oriented governance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/supreme-court-line-between-splurging-on-freebies-and-investing-state-largesse-for-public-welfare\/article70534348.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Context<\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The SC has distinguished welfare schemes from freebies, stating that large-scale distribution of state money to individuals is different from investing in public welfare.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong>About\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">A batch of petitions seek a judicial declaration that irrational freebies offered by political parties to lure voters during poll time should be considered a \u201ccorrupt practice\u201d.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">SC Observations: Welfare schemes like free healthcare and education are a constitutional obligation under the Directive Principles of State Policy.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/22-01-2026\/sc-freebies-welfare\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-64901","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64901","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64901"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64901\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64903,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64901\/revisions\/64903"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64901"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64901"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64901"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}