IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE, ANDHRA PRADESH AT HYDERABAD (Special Original Jurisdiction) THURSDAY, THE TWENTY FIFTH DAY OF SEPTEMBER, TWO THOUSAND EIGHT ONLY PRESENT: THE HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE C.V.NAGARJUNA REDDY WRIT PETITION No.2233 of 2002 Between: K. Anasuya … Petitioner AND The District Collector, Ranga Reddy District, Hyderabad, & another. … Respondents Counsel for the petitioner : Sri M.V. Krishna Mohan Counsel for the respondents : AGP for Revenue This Court made the following: THE HON’BLE SRI JUSTICE C.V.NAGARJUNA REDDY WRIT PETITION No.2233 of 2002 ORDER:- This writ petition is ﬁled for a writ of Mandamus to declare the action of the respondents in not granting ex gratia to the petitioner under “Apath Bandhu” scheme as illegal, arbitrary and unjust. The petitioner sought for a consequential direction to respondent No.1 to grant ex gratia amount of Rs.1,00,000/-. The case depicts a sad state of aﬀairs. The petitioner’s eﬀorts to get beneﬁt under a benevolent scheme “Apath Bandhu” were kept at bay by the oﬃcial apathy. The husband of the petitioner by name Sri K. Padaiah died in an accident on 23.10.1999 at 7 p.m. while he was crossing national highway. A criminal case was registered as FIR No.77 of 1999 on 24.10.1999 in the Saidabad Police Station. The Mandal Revenue Oﬃcer, Saroornagar in his letter dated 19.05.2000 addressed to respondent No.1, the District Collector, Ranga Reddy, informed that he got enquired into the incident leading to the death of the husband of the petitioner and also his family status. He stated that the deceased was 55 years of age and was the only primary bread winner of the family and that he was working as a labourer in a tea stall on daily wages with annual income of Rs.11,000/-. He also stated that the family of the deceased falls in the below poverty line category and is covered by the “Apath Bandhu” scheme. On receipt of the said report, the District Collector, Ranga Reddy wrote to the District Collector, Hyderabad obviously to verify whether any claim on behalf of the deceased K. Padaiah was made in Hyderabad District. In reply to the said query, the District Collector, Hyderabad in his letter dated 30.09.2000 informed the District Collector, Ranga Reddy that no such claim was made and that there is no objection for rendering ﬁnancial assistance under the Apath Bandhu scheme. It appears, the payment of the amount was delayed on account of his insistence on production of revised income certiﬁcate. By letter dated 20.12.2000, the District Collector, Raga Reddy, informed the District Collector, Hyderabad, that due to non-submission of revised income certiﬁcate to the National Insurance Company, the ex gratia amount could not be paid to the petitioner and that the quota ﬁxed for the Ranga Reddy District for the year 1999- 2000 is completed and that as the family of the deceased is very poor, he conveyed no objection for sanction of relief under Apath Bandhu scheme by the District Collector, Hyderabad. This letter addressed by the District Collector, Ranga Reddy, did not evoke any response from the District Collector, Hyderabad. Therefore, the petitioner is constrained to ﬁle the present writ petition. The fact that the petitioner’s family is eligible for payment of ex gratia under Apath Bandhu scheme is not in dispute. It is only on account of the procedural wrangles that the petitioner is denied the legitimate ﬁnancial help at the hour of crisis. These instances of laxity on the part of the administration render the benevolent schemes such as the Apath Bandhu scheme purposeless. The petitioner is thus made a victim of neglect by the bureaucratic apparatus. For no fault on her part, the petitioner is made to suﬀer. The writ petition is therefore allowed. The District Collector, Ranga Reddy is directed to pay forthwith to the petitioner the sum of Rs.1,00,000/- under the Apath Bandhu scheme from out of general/contingent fund available with him and seek reimbursement of the same from the Government. He shall make this payment within a period of four weeks from the date of receipt of a copy of this order. As a sequel to disposal of the writ petition in the manner indicated above, WPMP.No.2621 of 2002 ﬁled by the petitioner for interim relief is disposed of as infructuous. ____________________________ C.V.NAGARJUNA REDDY, J Date: 25.09.2008 ES