AP Govt Relaxes Rules to Reimburse Rs 7,250 for High Court Judge's Father's Spectacles!

AMRAVATI: The Andhra Pradesh government has issued a specific Government Order (GO 222) granting a special relaxation of existing rules to reimburse Rs 7,250 to an Andhra Pradesh High Court judge for purchasing spectacles for his father. The decision, published via official state notification, has brought administrative rules regarding judicial medical reimbursements into public focus.

Under standard state medical attendance regulations, items such as spectacles and corrective lenses are classified as aids or modes of treatment rather than direct medicines, making them ordinarily non-reimbursable unless explicitly cleared by state authorities under special discretion.

GO 222 Issued Under Special Discretionary Powers

The order was sanctioned following a formal scrutiny process and recommendation from judicial administrative channels:

• Purchase and Scrutiny: The spectacles were purchased in Vijayawada for the judge's dependent father in May. During initial administrative scrutiny, medical officers noted that eye care equipment falls outside standard reimbursable medicine lists.
• Special Relaxation Accorded: Following a request from the High Court Registrar General to consider the expenditure under special circumstances, the Law Department issued GO 222, authorizing the sanction of Rs 7,250 by relaxing existing rule frameworks.
• Precedent in Judicial Medical Expenses: State government records indicate that executive discretion is periodically exercised to approve medical, surgical, and therapeutic expenses incurred by sitting judges and their dependents under the 'Administration of Justice' administrative allocation.

Administrative Procedures and Governance Questions

While full medical reimbursement—including major surgeries without financial ceilings—is guaranteed to judicial officers and their families, discretionary rule relaxations for non-medical items frequently spur discussions regarding standardized expense caps, regulatory transparency, and public treasury utilization.