Telangana High Court Pulls Up State Over Delaying Minority Scholarships
Telangana High Court has expressed displeasure over delays in releasing post-matric scholarships for minority students. While hearing a PIL, the division bench led by Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice G. M. Mohiuddin directed the state government to release the funds on time and pulled up the state for bureaucratic delays.
The court took up over bills stuck with the Finance Department, emphasising that such lapses are denying economically vulnerable students timely relief and access to education.
Counsel for the petitioners, Advocate Syed Mounis Abidi, highlighted that the Minority Welfare Department filed its counter-affidavit only yesterday, barely within the stipulated time, while the Finance Department has failed to submit any counter despite multiple chances.
He also pointed out that, “Even though the request for the amount has been sent by the Minority Welfare Department, it is pending with the Finance Department; they have not filed any counter as of yet.”
The bench highlighted that bills for scholarships remain pending annually before the Finance Department, creating recurring hardships for students every year.
The court observed that these delays have a “cascading effect,” with colleges defying the government circular dated February 23, 2024, instructing principals of private colleges and universities not to withhold original certificates while awaiting reimbursement, leading to threats of stringent action that go unenforced.
The Division Bench voiced strong concern for affected students, remarking, “Retention of a certificate for a period of six months may cost an opportunity—it cannot be compensated later.”
They criticised the irony that students studying on scholarships due to an inability to afford fees are forced to “approach a judicial institution for release of the certificate which is for non-payment of fees,” incurring additional costs and litigation burdens.
The judges questioned the government’s enforcement mechanisms, asking, “What are the steps that are put in place to ensure or to ascertain that institutions are following that circular? Any grievance cell, any toll-free number, any help desk?”
They noted the absence of any systemic structure to monitor compliance or initiate action against defaulting colleges, resulting in “unwanted litigation” and students knocking on the doors of courts or human rights commissions individually.
Granting the Finance Department two weeks to file its counter-affidavit, the court adjourned the matter to March 3, 2026, for further hearing.
The bench directed the Minority Welfare Department to establish a robust grievance redressal mechanism, ensuring that innocent students do not suffer due to colleges’ actions and can resolve issues without approaching courts. Paragraph 14 of the department’s counter-affidavit explicitly acknowledged sanctions pending with the Finance Department, reinforcing the judges’ call for accountability.
The PIL was filed by the Association of Socio-Economic Empowerment of the Marginalised (ASEEM) and the Students Islamic Organisation, Telangana, through Advocate Syed Mounis Jafer Abidi and Advocate Syed Ghiyasuddin, against delays in releasing scholarships under the reimbursement of tuition fee scheme, seeking immediate disbursal of pending amounts and a permanent systemic solution to prevent future delays.
