HC to netas: stop photo-op welfare
Telangana High Court questioned why MLAs need to hand out welfare cheques; Kalyana Lakshmi aid for differently abled girls reportedly spared from stay. The BJP-Congress-TDP selfie economy took a hit; the law still wants a receipt.
The High Court questioned the need for political leaders to personally distribute welfare cheques.
The Telangana High Court has questioned the necessity of political leaders turning welfare into a stage show — asking whether any law or constitutional provision requires MLAs and other public representatives to personally hand over government cheques. The point was raised while hearing applications linked to the challenge against the Kalyana Lakshmi and Shaadi Mubarak schemes, which have been under an interim stay since 12 August, including disbursements under eight government orders, according to court reporting.
One reported modification matters for families waiting: G.O. Ms. No. 4 — the 2019 order enhancing marriage assistance to Rs 1,25,145 for parents of differently abled girls under Kalyana Lakshmi/Shaadi Mubarak — was said to be exempted from the stay. The government order itself is on record; the court’s carve-out is reported from proceedings and awaits the formal order.
The judge also reiterated a basic rule Delhi and its franchisees keep forgetting: every rupee of public money needs legal backing, and politics does not get to sit in the cashier’s chair. The state has moved to vacate the stay before a division bench, arguing the freeze creates a logjam; the precise appeal details are awaited on the record. Meanwhile, the BJP-led Centre’s culture of ribbon-first-governance and the Congress-TDP habit of branding welfare like party merch just ran into the same hurdle: the Constitution prefers files to photo-ops.