Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court’s division bench has declined to suspend the operations of the Indiramma Committees, which are responsible for selecting beneficiaries for the state’s housing scheme aimed at assisting the homeless poor.
The court refused to stay the earlier orders issued by a single judge and instructed the state government to file a counter, scheduling the next hearing for January 24, 2025.
Indiramma housing scheme
The Indiramma housing scheme aims to provide Rs 5 lakh in financial assistance to construct 450,000 houses in its initial phase.
This initiative was formalized through a government order dated October 11, which established committees at both village panchayat and municipal ward levels.
These committees are chaired by panchayat sarpanches or special officers appointed by the district collector and include two women from self-help groups, along with three local representatives from different communities (one each from BC, SC, and ST) in rural areas.
In urban settings, ward councillors or corporators serve as chairpersons.
Nithish Kumar and another petitioner from Nizamabad challenged the establishment of these committees in court.
However, their plea was dismissed by a single judge, who emphasized that beneficiary selection would follow established eligibility criteria and that the government retains discretionary power in implementing such schemes.
The judge also noted that judicial review under Article 226 is limited unless there is a violation of fundamental rights
