The Delhi High Court on Monday sought responses from the Government of NCT Delhi, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and other respondents on a Public Interest Litigation against alleged denial of Right to Education (RTE) statutory benefits to over 6 lakhs students studying in Delhi government and MCD schools for want of Bank Account. The acting Chief Justice’s Bench heard the matter and issued notice to all the respondents. Respondents have been asked to file counter affidavit within 4 weeks. The next hearing will be on April 10, 2024.
According to the plea filed by social jurist through Advocates Ashok Aggarwal and Kumar Utkarsh, students studying in schools run by respondent Directorate of Education, Government of NCT of Delhi and respondent Municipal Corporation of Delhi are being deprived of statutory benefits like uniforms, writing material, etc. as guaranteed to them under Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 read with Delhi Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules, 2011 also read with Delhi School Education Act 1973 and the rules framed thereunder as the same are not made available to students at the commencement of the academic session. Around 2,69,488 students studying in schools run by the respondent Directorate of Education and 3,83,203 students studying in schools run by the respondent Municipal Corporation of Delhi are allegedly deprived of statutory benefits, the plea claimed.
The plea submitted that report mentioned in the Audit Memo dated November 14, 2023, revealed that since the 2016-2017 academic year students of MCD schools have not been paid statutory monetary benefits and the condition is more or less the same in respondent Directorate of Education run schools. Therefore, the respondent Directorate of Education and respondent Municipal Corporation of Delhi should ensure that all the students studying in their schools have operational Bank Accounts and that the benefits/ funds are timely transferred to their Bank Accounts.
The plea further alleged that the right to education of all those students who have operational Bank Accounts is also being violated as benefits given by the respondent Directorate of Education and respondent Municipal Corporation of Delhi are always delayed. In fact, in many cases, the students get these benefits at the end of the academic session rather than at the commencement of the academic session.
The plea further stated that though the current academic year 2023-24 is coming to an end, no benefits on account of uniform, writing material, notebook, scholarship, etc have been to any student studying in respondent Municipal Corporation of Delhi schools to date.
