In Brief
This writ petition challenged the constitutional validity of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana, 2016, which imposed penalties, surcharges, and a four-year lock-in on income disclosed under the voluntary disclosure scheme following demonetization. The petitioner argued the scheme could be better structured with lower penalties and tax credits for honest taxpayers. The Supreme Court held that it cannot substitute its judgment for the Executive's fiscal policy decisions merely because an alternative scheme might be preferable. Courts may only review whether a policy violates constitutional provisions, not redesign policies. The petition was dismissed as the policy's constitutional validity was not genuinely assailed.
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