NREGS funds: Andhra Pradesh HC stays Single judge’s order

VIJAYAWADA: A division bench of the Andhra Pradesh High Court on Monday issued a stay on the orders of a single judge bench who sought the Centre’s response on whether funds under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) can be used for constructing village and ward secretariats.

While hearing a petition on the construction of Rythu Bharosa Kendras, and village and ward secretariats on the premises of government schools, single judge bench of Justice Battu Devanand had asked the government to stop the works. Petitioners later filed contempt pleas stating that construction was continuing despite court orders.

While hearing contempt petitions on February 14, Justice Devanand sought to know whether MGNREGS funds can be used for construction of ward and village secretariats and added the Centre as a respondent.
Following this, the State government had challenged the orders of the single judge bench before the division bench. Advocate General S Sriram said the trial was going beyond what the petitioners had sought and argued that the single judge bench was treating writ petitions as a Public Interest Litigation. 

He stated that seeking the Centre’s response on utilising NREGS funds for construction of ward and village secretariats is beyond the relief sought by the petitioners. The bench of CJ Prasant Kumar Mishra and Justice Rao Raghunandan Rao stayed the orders.