The Telangana High Court on Tuesday, September 3, declined to entertain an appeal filed by the state against a previous order directing the payment of financial assistance to a candidate under the Ambedkar Overseas Vidyanidhi (AOVN) scheme.

The bench, comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice J Anil Kumar, emphasised that courts cannot condone delays without sufficient cause, regardless of whether the appeal is filed by the state or an individual, stated a report by The New Indian Express.

The appeal was filed by the Department of Social Welfare and other state authorities following a writ petition by one Ganta Venkata Narahari. Narahari challenged the rejection of a scholarship for his son under the AOVN scheme, which provides financial assistance to Scheduled Caste (SC) students pursuing postgraduate (PG) studies in foreign universities, stated a report by The New Indian Express.

The authorities had denied the scholarship on the grounds that the family's income exceeded the prescribed ceiling of Rs 2 lakh.

During Tuesday's hearing, the bench dismissed the state's appeal, noting a delay of 161 days in filing the appeal and ruling that the application for condonation of delay did not demonstrate any sufficient cause.

The court asserted that delays cannot be excused simply because the appellant is the state.