HC stays govt funds for church repairs

A two-member bench of the AP High Court on Monday directed the authorities to maintain status quo on government funds for building or repairing churches. The bench of Chief Justice Anil R Dave and Justice C V Nagarjuna Reddy was hearing a writ petition filed by Tripuraneni Hanuman Chowdary complaining that the state government was engaging itself in the promotion of a religion contrary to court injunctions.He listed 49 GOs, placing 150 Christian institutions as beneficiaries of state aid. The petitioner argued that there were no legislative sanction for the said expenditures and thus illegal. Listing various GOs between December 2001 and March 2009, he said the state was promoting Christian related activities in the guise of SC/ST welfare. He said the state was getting involved in a systematic manner for promoting church-related activities.
The petitioner had earlier filed a writ challenging the action of the government in granting funds for Christian pilgrimage. A two-member bench by an order dated July 22 had suspended the GO granting such allowances.