Hyderabad, April 17 -- A dispute between the state government and rice millers over paddy supplied for milling has reached the High Court, with millers arguing that criminal cases filed against them are unjustified.

The issue dates back to the 2022-23 procurement season, when the government supplied paddy to rice mills under the Custom Milling Rice (CMR) system. Under this system, millers are required to process paddy into rice and return it to the government within a stipulated time.

However, the millers told the High Court that the government itself later instructed them not to proceed with milling the paddy and instead auctioned the stocks. Because of this decision, they argued, there was no actual financial loss to the state.

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