Dangerous over-stepping

Madras High Court's order on loan waiver is judicial overreach

On Tuesday, the Madras High Court directed the Tamil Nadu government to waive farm loans taken by all farmers, irrespective of their land holding, and to ensure that no penal action or loan recovery was initiated against them. The court order was in response to a state government order that only marginal and small farmers were eligible for waiver of agricultural loans. An additional 300,000 farmers will benefit from the debt waiver scheme, apart from the 1.7 million existing beneficiaries, for which the state will have to shell out an additional Rs 1,980.33 crore. In its order, the court also