Pending minority scholarship bills: Telangana HC pulls up govt over delay, gives two weeks to respond

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court pulled up the State government for delays in disbursing the long-pending post-matric scholarships for minority students. The court gave the Finance Department two weeks to file a counter-affidavit.

The Division Bench of the Telangana HC, led by Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice GM Mohiuddin, was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) concerning the pending scholarships for minority students.

Delays from the Finance department

The court expressed strong displeasure over bills stuck with the Finance Department, emphasising that such lapses are denying economically vulnerable students timely relief and access to education.

The counsel for petitioners, Syed Mounis Abidi, highlighted that the Minority Welfare Department filed its counter-affidavit only yesterday, barely within the stipulated time, while the Finance Department has failed to submit any counter despite multiple chances.

He also pointed out that, “Even though the request for the amount has been sent by the minority welfare department, it is pending with the finance department; they have not filed any counter as of yet.”

Pending scholarships leading to original certificates getting stuck

The bench underscored that bills for scholarships remain pending annually before the Finance Department, creating recurring hardships for students every year.

The court observed that these delays have a ‘cascading effect,’ with colleges defying the government circular dated February 23, 2024, instructing principals of private colleges and universities not to withhold original certificates awaiting reimbursement, leading to stringent action threats that go unenforced.

The Division Bench voiced strong concern for affected students, remarking, “Retention of a certificate for a period of six months may cost an opportunity—it cannot be compensated later.”

They criticised the irony that students studying on scholarships due to inability to afford fees are forced to ‘approach a judicial institution for release of the certificate which is for non-payment of fees,’ incurring additional costs and litigation burdens.

Absence of systemic structure forcing students to approach courts

The judges questioned the government’s enforcement mechanisms, asking, “What are the steps that are put in place to ensure or to ascertain that institutions are following that circular? Any grievance cell, any toll-free number, any help desk?”

They noted the absence of any systemic structure to monitor compliance or initiate action against defaulting colleges, resulting in ‘unwanted litigation’ and students knocking on the doors of courts or human rights commissions individually.

Granting the Finance Department two weeks to file its counter-affidavit, the court adjourned the matter to March 3 for further hearing.

The bench directed the Minority Welfare Department to establish a robust grievance redressal mechanism, ensuring innocent students do not suffer due to colleges’ actions and can resolve issues without approaching courts. Para 14 of the department’s counter explicitly acknowledged sanctions pending with the Finance Department, reinforcing the judges’ call for accountability.

The PIL was filed by ASEEM and SIO Telangana through Syed Mounis Jafer Abidi and Syed Ghiyasuddin advocates, against delays in releasing scholarships under the reimbursement of the Tuition Fee scheme, seeking immediate disbursal of pending amounts and a permanent systemic solution to prevent future delays, the SIO said in a public statement.