Telangana HC allows ₹1.25 lakh aid for disabled brides; seven other G.O.s stayed
The Telangana High Court on Monday lifted the stay on Government Order (G.O.) Ms. No. 4, which provides financial assistance of ₹1.25 lakh to physically challenged unmarried women under the Kalyana Lakshmi and Shaadi Mubarak schemes.
However, the interim stay on the seven other G.O.s, which extended the benefits of the two welfare schemes to different categories of unmarried women, will continue for another two weeks. Justice N.V. Shravan Kumar had earlier issued the stay against all eight G.O.s.
The Kalyana Lakshmi and Shaadi Mubarak schemes are state government initiatives that offer one-time financial aid to unmarried women from economically weaker sections at the time of marriage. The G.O. in question specifically targets physically challenged women, who were previously not covered under the schemes.
The court was hearing a writ petition filed by advocate Vijay Gopal, who challenged the constitutional validity of the implementation of the two welfare schemes. The petitioner argued that the government must strike a fiscal balance and that the eight G.O.s had no legal sanctity.
During the hearing, the judge allowed the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MLAs Majid Hussain and Ahmed Bin Abdullah Balala to be impleaded as parties in the writ petition.
Justice Shravan Kumar also questioned Additional Advocate General Mohammed Imran Khan about the role of legislators in distributing cheques under the schemes. The judge observed that the implementation had taken on a political tinge with legislators being involved in handing out cheques to beneficiaries.
The judge stated that the government should assign the responsibility of distributing cheques to the authorities, not to legislators.
The counsels for the MLAs sought dismissal of the writ petition, contending that it was filed with a vested interest. They alleged that some forces were attempting to thwart financial assistance to unmarried women from underprivileged and lower strata of society.
With the lifting of the stay on G.O. Ms. No. 4, physically challenged unmarried women can now receive the assistance while the legal challenge against the other seven G.O.s remains pending. The matter is set to be heard again after two weeks.
