Mandamus cannot be issued to the Parliament to enact legislation: SC rejects plea to enact a law to give equal compensation to victims of Violence

The Supreme Court observed that a contract is void if prohibited by a statute under a penalty, even without express declaration that the contract is void

The Supreme Court Monday rejected a plea seeking direction to Parliament to enact a law providing a uniform scheme to compensate people who are affected by violence and other tragedies.

A three-judge bench comprising Justices D Y Chandrachud, Indu Malhotra and Indira Banerjee dismissed the plea saying no mandamus can be issued to Parliament as a legislating body to enact legislation.

The law on the point is well-settled. The prayers are hence misconceived. Moreover, whether any scheme should at all be framed by the executive is a matter of policy. We, therefore, decline to entertain the petition under Article 32 of the Constitution,” the Bench said.

The Apex Court was hearing a PIL by Advocate B S Rajesh Agrajit seeking directions to the Central Government to formulate, enact and implement a strong uniform scheme for awarding compensation for mishappenings, deaths, and injuries to the impacted people.