Telangana High Court dismisses PILs over farmer compensation

The Telangana High Court has dismissed two public interest litigations (PILs) seeking court directions for the state government to release pending crop loss compensation and loan waivers to farmers.

One petition was filed by Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLA T Harish Rao, who argued that while the government had sanctioned assistance for nearly 10 lakh farmers following heavy rains and cyclones, only a small fraction had received payments. A second petition was filed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Payal Shankar regarding the disbursement of input subsidies.

A division bench, led by Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice GM Mohiuddin, ruled that the petitions were not maintainable. The court noted that under writ jurisdiction, the judiciary does not ordinarily direct the executive on the allocation or release of public funds, as these decisions involve budgetary priorities, revenue considerations, and administrative discretion. Regarding Harish Rao’s petition, the bench suggested that as a member of the legislature, he had more appropriate forums, such as the House, to address the grievances.