Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court has raised concerns over the government’s delay in submitting a reply in a case about reserving 25% of seats in private aided schools for children from poor and disadvantaged backgrounds. The court warned that if schools do not follow this rule, their recognition should be cancelled.
The case was brought forward by advocate Thandava Yogesh, who filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL). He asked the court to direct the government to enforce Section 12(1)(c) of the Right to Education Act, 2009. This section requires that 25% of seats in Class I and pre-school be reserved for children from economically weaker and disadvantaged groups.
As the admission season is about to start, the court pushed for a quick response. Additional Advocate General Imran Khan told the court that the government is committed to implementing the rule. He presented a memo from October 19, 2024, which outlines steps the government plans to take from the 2025-26 academic year onwards. He also promised that a formal reply would be submitted by a senior official.
The court scheduled the next hearing for April 22 and asked the government to file its response by then.
In a separate case, the High Court issued notices to the Telangana government and the Warangal Police Commissioner. The notices were in response to a petition filed by the BRS party, which claims that their request to hold a public meeting on April 27 was ignored.
The BRS party plans to organise the event to celebrate its silver jubilee Foundation Day. They have chosen over 1,300 acres of land in Elkathurthy and received consent from landowners. However, the government has not yet given permission for the event.
Government Pleader (Home) Mahesh Raje asked for more time, until April 21, to gather details. He explained that several factors need to be considered, such as security, traffic, and law and order. He also said that the police had asked the party to provide more information, which they have already submitted.
BRS district president Dasyam Vinay Bhaskar had approached the court earlier, asking for permission to hold the event from 10 am to 10 pm. His lawyer told the court that former CM KCR and other party leaders would attend.
However, the Commissioner of Police had invoked several laws to ban all public gatherings between April 6 and May 5, citing security concerns. The judge has now directed the government and the police to submit their decision by April 17. The next hearing is scheduled for that day.
