HC seeks Delhi government's response to PIL challenging lack of infrastructure in govt schools

On May 23, Monday, the Delhi government was asked by the Delhi High Court to respond to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) pointing out deficiencies in school infrastructure and was asked to fill vacant posts of principals, teachers and other staff. 

Acting Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi issued a notice on the petition filed by Salek Chand Jain and directed the city government to issue an affidavit mentioning the state of vacancies, steps taken to address them and the timeline within which it would be filled, as stated in a report by PTI.

Justice Sachin Datta, who was also on the Bench, asked the government to disclose the shortage in infrastructure in its schools and how the government is going to deal with it. The petitioner alleged that “45,503 posts of teachers are lying vacant in 1,027 government schools in Delhi run by the Delhi government” and several of them do not have well-equipped computer labs, science labs, libraries, etc.

The petition filed through lawyer JK Gupta emphasised that most students in government schools belong to lower middle class and poor families who cannot afford private tuition and “due to the shortage of teaching staff, the respondents (Delhi government) are playing with the lives and prosperity and future of the poor students," as stated in a report by PTI.

The petition stated, "It is a great mockery that on the one side, there is a huge shortage of the teaching staff, as mentioned above, and, on the other hand, the Delhi Government has been putting the education model in the United Nations."

Further, it added, “Without teachers, the students in the government schools are deprived of their fundamental right to education, hence the present petition has been filed under Article 226 of the Constitution of India." Under Article 226, a writ petition can be filed before any High Court within whose jurisdiction the cause of action arises, either wholly or in part.

The petition also highlighted that most of the schools do not have CCTV cameras and guards at the main gate which may lead to “unwanted and anti-social elements may come into the school and causing a nuisance.” The next hearing is on November 9.