SC junks plea for disbursal of funds to TN

New Delhi

The plea alleged that on an average Rs 4,000 crore annual funds for local bodies in the state have not been released since 2016 by Union ministries of finance and panchayati raj, stopping of development works.

Non-disbursal of funds is premised on the ground that the elections for local bodies have not been held since 2016, the plea said. A bench comprising Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian asked lawyer C R Jaya Sukin to withdraw the plea and approach the Madras High Court.

In a hearing conducted through video conferencing, the bench asked the lawyer about his “locus standi” to raise the grievances. On being told that it has been filed in the capacity of a citizen, the bench said, “We all are citizens of India...If you want to go to the high court, you withdraw this. Otherwise we will dismiss it”. All such funds remain unspent and all development works are stopped for last four years in Gram Panchayats, corporations, municipalities and town panchayats of entire State, it said.