Andhra Pradesh HC pulls up ECI for not permitting welfare amount disbursal
VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh High Court on Friday pulled up the Election Commission of India (ECI) for not okaying disbursal of money to beneficiaries under certain welfare schemes of the AP government through direct benefit transfer (DBT) even though a single judge bench had ordered the same.
A division bench headed by Chief Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur and Justice R. Raghunandan Rao heard the matter on Friday.
In his submission, ECI’s counsel Avinash Desai said the Election Commission had written to the Chief Secretary of AP at 12 noon on Friday whether the budget had already been allocated for transferring the money before the Model Code of Conduct had come into force.
Justice Raghunandan Rao asked how EC can come in when the single judge of the High Court has given a directive. “Are they above us,” the judge asked.
ECI’s counsel said it is not so.
The judge observed that whether it is a monthly or annual scheme, it does not make a difference. It is a continuous regular payment. The amounts related to the schemes are to be paid on a regular basis given the nature of the schemes, he underlined.
Advocate general S. Sriram submitted to the court that the ECI’s actions differed from government to government. He pointed out that earlier, the commission had allowed schemes like Pasupu-Kumkuma and Annadata Sukhibava in AP. But this time, the ECI did not permit even the schemes that had been running for a long time.
The High Court bench asked ECI’s counsel whether the commission would seek details again, though disbursal of money for welfare schemes had been permitted from May 14 onwards.
The commission’s counsel responded saying disbursal of money could be taken up from the same day.
The court then posted the next hearing in the matter to September 2.
Significantly, the single judge bench had allowed transfer of money for welfare schemes on Thursday night. ₹14,165 crore had been meant to be disbursed on Friday.
However, the ECI, instead of allowing the money to be transferred to beneficiaries on Friday, sought certain details from the state government.
Thus, no amount could be disbursed on Friday.
