HC stays Recovery of Disaster Relief Funds 

The Himachal Pradesh High Court has stayed the recovery notice issued by the Block Development Officer (BDO), Rampur, seeking repayment of disaster relief funds from affected individuals in Kyao village.

The court, while granting interim relief, directed the state government to file a response within four weeks.

The relief funds, disbursed under the ‘Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Disaster)’ scheme, were intended to aid victims of the July 2023 floods in Rampur.

The amount was released in three installments to 17 affected individuals after an assessment conducted by local officials, including Patwaris and Panchayat Secretaries, under the direction of Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu. However, upon later scrutiny, the BDO found that the recipients were allegedly ineligible for the scheme and issued a recovery notice on February 4, 2025 demanding repayment within 15 days.

Challenging this order, the affected individuals approached the High Court arguing that the recovery notice was issued without due process. Their counsel contended that the notice was issued “without giving any prior show cause notice, without affording a personal hearing, and based on an inquiry conducted behind the back of the petitioner.”

The petitioners further stated that they had not committed any fraud or misrepresentation and had utilized the funds for the repair and reconstruction of their damaged homes.

Taking note of these arguments, Justice Ranjan Sharma on February 19 granted interim protection, stating, “this Court, at this stage, is of the considered view, that the interim protection needs to be accorded to the petitioner.”

Accordingly, the court ordered that “State Authorities, including Respondent No.6-Block Development Officer, Rampur, District Shimla, shall not effect recovery of released amount to the petitioner, in pursuance to notice dated 04.02.2025  till further orders.”

The state government has been directed to submit its reply within four weeks. The case will be heard next on March 25, 2025 before the appropriate bench.