CHENNAI: A division bench of the Madras High Court has directed the secretary, department of Adi Dravidar and Welfare, to appear before it on October 21, to explain the action taken against the officials, who had allegedly swindled/misappropriated the funds meant for Adi Dravidar students.
The bench of Justices M Sathyanarayanan and N Seshasayee, before which the PIL petition from advocate K Karthikeyan came up on Monday, directed the official to appear to assist the court with all relevant documents. According to the petitioner, the government had formulated various schemes to encourage the SC/ST students to take up education.
Crores of rupees were being spent by the government towards stipends, scholarships, for purchase of educational equipment, hostel facilities, clothes, books, etc., with the primary intention to bring the downtrodden people on par with other sections of the society. The petitioner alleged that the money earmarked for these students, was being misappropriated/swindled by the officials in the school education and Adi Dravidar Welfare departments and by the school managements, too.