Hyderabad: Expressing serious concern over the fate of farmers, the Hyderabad High Court on Monday cautioned a petitioner to think twice before moving court against farmers’ welfare schemes.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Kalyan Jyoti Sengupta and Justice P.V. Sanjay Kumar was dealing with a Public Interest Litigation by M/s Lokseva, an NGO based in Ranga Reddy district of Telangana state, challenging a GO issued by the Andhra Pradesh government to waive the agriculture crop loans and gold loans availed for agricultural purposes.
The petitioner contended that the GO was illegal, unconstitutional and contrary to the principles of natural justice and also against the guidelines of the Reserve Bank of India.
When the petitioner insisted on preventing the state government from the waiver because it is going to cost the exchequer heavily, the Chief Justice expressed displeasure. He pointed out when the providers of essential things, food, clothing and shleter are in a crisis, a crisis arose out of a vicious cycle of debt trap, some people refuse to go to their rescue.
Mentioning the plight of the farmers, Justice Sengupta said, “Some sections of our society, which will donate crores of rupees to entertainment programmes, would want these toiling masses to perish.”
Justice Sengupta said that if the government had taken a decision for the welfare of farmers what was wrong in it. He said it was the bankers who lent the money, which should raise the grievance and not the petitioner and asked him to show the government order that conveys the state’s decision to pay the amount to bankers on behalf of the farmers.
The Chief Justice asked the petitioner to show the law in which the loan waiver is barred and also show the copy of agreement between the government and the bankers for the loan waiver.
When, the petitioner replied in the negative, the bench was inclined to dismiss the plea. The petitioner urged the court to grant liberty to withdraw the petition.
While granting the liberty to withdraw the plea and file a fresh petition with all relevant documents, the bench suggested the petitioner think twice before filing such petition which will lead to wasting of the court’s time.
