Jammu & Kashmir High Court: A Division Bench comprising of Gita Mittal, CJ and Tashi Rabstan, J. directed the respondents to submit the status report on the education provisions that were to be provided to the students of the State.
It was stated that this Court granted time to the respondents to file a status report with regard to the status of infrastructure in the schools situated in rural and urban areas for which on request even the time was extended but still there was a failure to comply with the directions. It has been directed by way of PIL to only dispense funds for “100% saturation of toilets in all schools”. Additionally, provision has been introduced for the provision of drinking water and electricity supply further the Education Department wants to achieve construction of boundary walls in all schools. Plus furniture and other amenities were to be given but in a ‘time-bound manner’.
The Court stated that respondents never gave a time frame regarding till when the infrastructure in schools would be arranged nor any audit of the deficiencies in the infrastructure were submitted. It has been pressed upon that deficiencies in Right to Education cannot be tolerated where it can be clearly seen that Education Department was not concerned about even assessing deficiencies let alone proceeding to supply the same in any planned manner. Accordingly, the Court has demanded the appearance of the respondent where the complete details of deficiencies and time frame of the work to be done to be submitted. [All J&K Ladakh Teacher Federation v. State, 2018 SCC OnLine J&K 1015, Order dated 26-12-2018]