Ahmedabad

The Gujarat High Court today directed 210 city-based private schools to file their replies on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking proper implementation of the Right To Education Act.

A Gujarat High Court division bench, comprising acting Chief Justice V M Sahai and Justice R P Dholaria, directed city-based private schools to file replies whether they have followed RTE provision to provide admission to 25 per cent poor kids in their school.

The private schools have to file their replies on how many children from underprivileged sections of society have been given admission during the current academic year as per the norms of the RTE Act.

The Gujarat High Court had said in an order, on March 19, that city-based private schools will be liable to face criminal action if RTE norms have not been followed by them.

The High Court has acted on a PIL filed by city-based NGO Dalit Hakk Rakshak Manch stating that a private school did not give admission to a girl from a downtrodden community called Muskan Goel under RTE despite the district education officer’s order.

The girl’s father, who is a co-petitioner in the PIL, had to pay fees to enroll his daughter in a private school in Shahibaugh area of the city, the petition said.

There are other schools in the city which are under Gujarat government and even central schools which do not follow the mandate of the Constitution under Article 21 (A), providing the Right to Education to children, the PIL said.

PTI