The Supreme Court on Thursday questioned state governments’ tendency to dole out across-the-board “freebies” such as free electricity, particularly before elections, without distinguishing between the well-off and the poor. Most states have been doing this despite being revenue-deficit, the bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul M. Pancholi said. Yes, it is the state’s duty to provide,” the bench orally observed. We know states where there is free electricity even if you are a big landlord. But this money, which the state says (it) will pay now... who will pay for it?

Source: The Telegraph February 20, 2026 01:40 UTC