Telangana govt told to inform HC of amount allotted for Iftar party

The High Court at Hyderabad has directed the Telangana Minorities Welfare Department to inform the court the amount of money allocated for Iftar feast to be held on June 18 in Hyderabad and adjourned the matter to Thursday.

The division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice T Rajani gave this direction while hearing a Public Interest Litigation moved by social activist Lubna Saraswat who challenged the G.O. issued in this regard alleging that around Rs 60 crore of Waqf funds that were supposed to be spent for the welfare of Muslims are being diverted for such lavish feasts.

Counsel for the petitioner Sameer Ahmed contended that the present G.O. unlike the ones issued in previous years, kept the amount of money to be spent as a secret. He also said many non-minorities would participate in these Iftars, which is illegal. He charged that the government is using funds meant for Minorities welfare to pursue its own agenda.

The bench observed that as per the G.O., it is intended to provide Iftar feasts for 500 persons each in over 400 Masjids in the State and also how can one ascertain whether non-minorities are participating in them or not. It also felt the court cannot intervene in the welfare activities being implemented by the government. The counsel for the petitioner contended that the courts can intervene when there is discrepancy in the scheme formulated by the government.

The bench directed the Government Pleader for Minorities Welfare Department B S Prasad to inform the court on Thursday the amount of money that is being spent for the Iftar feast in Hyderabad on June 18 and adjourned the matter.