These writ petitions are directed against the orders issued by the Social Welfare Department/District Collector/Tahsildar under Revenue Recovery Act, 1864 (Act 2 of 1864) to recover money due to the Government from the petitioners in the respective writ petitions. Facts in issue, contentions and issues for consideration being same in all the writ petitions, they are being disposed of by common order.

2. Facts giving rise to institution of these writ petitions are as under:

(A) Petitioners in all the writ petitions are the managements of private colleges running various courses like Intermediate, degree and professional courses. For the sake of convenience, facts narrated and material papers filed in WP No.17164 of 2009 are referred to. Petitioners charge fee from the students prosecuting courses in their institutions. As a social welfare measure, Government of Andhra Pradesh formulated a scheme, whereunder Government reimburses fee payable to private colleges for prosecuting courses of study administered in the private colleges by the students belonging to Schedule Caste, Schedule Tribe and Backward Classes communities. For the period commencing from 1998-99 to 2001-02 certa