In Brief
Maharashtra's tender for supplementary nutrition under ICDS imposed conditions requiring 25% minimum turnover and mechanized extrusion technology, effectively excluding local self-help groups and Mahila Mandals in favor of large corporations. The Supreme Court held these conditions arbitrary and contrary to the National Food Security Act 2013, prior Court orders, and Government of India policy prioritizing decentralized supply by local women's groups. The Court found the recipes mandating extrusion were merely suggestive, not binding. The tender was set aside and fresh tenders directed within four weeks, with contract areas formed at panchayat level to ensure genuine local participation and decentralization of supplementary nutrition provisioning.
The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.