Hyderabad: The Telangana high court on Monday heard the state govt’s appeal against a single judge’s order staying the Kalyana Lakshmi and Shaadi Mubarak welfare schemes. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice GM Mohiuddin overruled the registry’s objections to the appeal and adjourned the hearing to Tuesday. Advocate general A Sudarshan Reddy informed the bench that similar schemes are being implemented in several states across the country.Sudarshan Reddy further submitted that the schemes were in line with the objectives highlighted by the Supreme Court in matters concerning the prevention of child marriage.“Such schemes, which are extended to girls only after they attain the age of 18, provide support at the time of marriage and help discourage parents from forcing their daughters into child marriages,” the advocate general said.Urging the court to dismiss the petition at the threshold as not maintainable, the advocate general said the welfare schemes were introduced by the state govt in exercise of its executive powers under Article 162 of the Constitution and that their implementation was entirely within the state’s discretion.A single judge had earlier stayed the schemes while hearing a petition filed by advocate Vijay Gopal, who challenged their legality and questioned their statutory backing and funding, citing the state’s fiscal burden.Taking a critical view, the single judge directed the state govt to clarify whether funds were being borrowed to implement the schemes, observing that such borrowing could violate the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act. The judge also remarked that such welfare programmes amounted to a political stunt, adding that people would not require such schemes if the govt ensured employment opportunities and timely compensation for land losers.
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