HYDERABAD: While admitting the petitions filed questioning the government’s decision, a division bench of the Hyderabad High Court on Monday refused to grant interim order staying the decision of the Telangana government extending financial assistance to IAS officer Smita Sabharwal to meet the legal expenses in a defamation case against ‘Outlook’ magazine.

The bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Dilip B Bhosale and Justice SV Bhatt was dealing two PILs filed separately by K Eshwar Rao and Vattsala Vidyasagar and a writ petition by Outlook Publishing (India) Pvt Ltd challenging the GO issued on Aug 28, 2015 sanctioning `15 lakh to Smita Sabharwal, additional secretary in the chief minister’s office, for payment of court fee and expenses for filing a civil suit seeking damages of `10 crore from ‘Outlook’ magazine for publishing a news report along with a cartoon allegedly to defame her.