HC dismisses PIL on Dalit Bandhu

Directs state to upload GOs within 24 hours

A division bench of the Telangana High Court comprising Chief Justice Hima Kohli and Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy on Wednesday disposed of a PIL filed by an NGO ‘Watch Voice’, challenging the implementation of the ‘Dalit Bandhu’ scheme to selective people and selective areas.

However, the court expressed satisfaction and recorded the contentions of advocate general B.S. Prasad, before the disposing of the case. The advocate general informed the court that the Chief Minister floated the scheme to empower the Scheduled Caste communities and it would be extended to all Dalit families in the state. He also submitted that proper guidelines had been framed vide GO. No. 6 dated July 18, 2021.

Shashi Kiran, counsel for the petitioner informed the court that the said GO was not uploaded on government website due to which he was unaware of the guidelines for disbursing `10 lakh to each of the 76 Dalit families in Vasalamarri village.

Justice Kohli questioned the advocate general as to why the GOs were not uploaded on the website. Further, while disposing of the PIL, Justice Kohli directed the state government to immediately upload all GOs issued by it within 24 hours of the issuance on the government website.

The Chief Justice said that when the judges in the High Court could upload their orders on the High Court website within 24 hours of issuance, why the government departments could not do.

Another PIL filed on ‘Dalit Bandhu’ being implemented in Huzurabad Assembly constituency which was filed by three political parties viz., Janavahini Party, Jaiswaraj Party and Telangana Republican party also came up for hearing. As the counsel for the petitioners did not appear, the bench adjourned the case to a later date.