Nagpur: About 10 students of various schools in the city, who hail from remote villages in backward Gadchiroli district, have written to the Chief Justice of Bombay High Court stating that they are not able to attend online tutorials due to various issues like lack of electricity and Internet connectivity.
The letters addressed to the senior administrative judge at Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court prayed for finding a solution to their problems as hundreds of students like them are facing the same issues.
Taking suo motu cognisance of the letters, a division bench comprising justices Sunil Shukre and Avinash Gharote has directed HC registry to treat the issue as public interest litigation (PIL). The case was listed for hearing on Wednesday but couldn’t be taken up till the end. Now, it may come up for hearing in the remaining days of this week or next week.
The registry has made centre and state government’s departments as respondents in the PIL apart from Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL). It included the Union Ministry of Education’s principal secretary along with Maharashtra government’s School Education and Rural Development departments.
According to assistant solicitor general of India, Ulhas Aurangabadkar, who represents the Union ministry, the court would now appoint amicus curiae for drafting the petition in proper format and then it would be heard at length.
Government pleader Sumant Deopujari, who will be pleading on behalf of state departments, said the students had requested the judiciary to look into their plight.
The registry has attached a government resolution (GR) on ‘Mission Begin Again’ where instructions for operating the schools amid Covid-19 pandemic were issued.
According to the aggrieved students comprising boys and girls from various classes, they hail from poor families. All of them have been stuck in their remote villages in the Naxal-hit district since the lockdown was announced in March.
They haven’t returned to the cities due to risk of getting infected by Covid-19. Though the schools have started online classes, these students can hardly attend them and can’t even come back to Nagpur till physical classes resume.
With the government extending lockdown till December 31, they would continue to miss the online classes till next year and also the examinations conducted by their respective schools. Some of them are admitted to CBSE schools while a girl studies in a school in Bramhapuri.