Supreme Court rejects plea against TS Govt allowing society to pay

The Supreme Court today refused to entertain a plea challenging the Telangana government's decision to allow a trust, presided by TRS leader and Finance Minister Etela Rajender, to pay dues of over Rs 80 lakh to the fire department in six instalments.

"At least the public money is being paid back. We cannot interfere if the government is granting some relaxation and allowing the trust to pay in instalments," a bench headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar said.

The bench, also comprising Justices D Y Chandrachud and S K Kaul, however, lauded the efforts of Hyderabad-based lawyer Khaja Aijazuddin who had initially filed the PIL in the High Court at Hyderabad against the Exhibition Society, the trust in which Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leader Rajender is the president.

"You have done a very good job. You have got the public money recovered. Now the money is coming back," it said.

The society, which holds All India Industrial Exhibition from January 1 to February 15 every year in Hyderabad, hires the services of state fire department during the exhibition to deal with any eventuality.
The society owed Rs 80.14 lakh for the exhibitions held between 2011 to 2015, Aijazuddin had alleged.

As the government failed to initiate the process to recover the dues, the lawyer filed the PIL in the high ourt and in the proceedings, it was accepted that the society owed the money to the state government.
The high court had on November 22, 2016 asked the society to clear the dues and sought an action taken report from the state government.

Later, in pursuance of the HCs direction, the state government issued a memo to the society.

However, the government granted liberty to the society to pay dues of Rs 80.14 lakh in six instalments. The high court then disposed of the PIL.

The appeal was filed in the apex court against the liberty granted to the society to pay the dues in instalments.