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A contempt petition has been moved before the Delhi High Court by civil rights organisation Social Jurist through Advocate Ashok Agarwal, alleging wilful disobedience of court directions by the Delhi Government's Education Secretary over failure to supply textbooks to nearly 10 lakh students studying in Classes I to VIII in government schools.
The matter is likely to be taken up for hearing on Wednesday. The petition has been filed under Sections 11 and 12 of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, read with Article 215 of the Constitution, seeking action against the Secretary (Education) for non-compliance with earlier directions issued by the High Court in July 2024 in a public interest litigation. According to the plea, despite clear judicial directions and undertakings given before the Court, textbooks and essential learning materials have not been provided to students even weeks after the commencement of the 2026-27 academic session on April 1. The petition highlights that this delay has severely impacted foundational learning and disrupted academic progress. The High Court, in its earlier order dated April 8, 2024, had recorded the assurance of the Education Secretary that books, notebooks, and writing materials would be supplied to all students in a time-bound manner, with no financial constraints. Subsequently, by order dated July 4, 2024, the Court accepted these undertakings and directed strict compliance with timelines regarding procurement and distribution of educational materials. The petition further states that internal directions issued by the Education Department itself required that textbooks be made available by the last week of March or at the very start of the academic session. However, the current situation reflects a complete failure to adhere to these timelines, the plea stated. It has also been pointed out that schools are scheduled to close for summer vacation on May 9 and will reopen only on July 1, leaving students without access to textbooks for an extended period of nearly three months. This, the petitioner argues, defeats the very purpose of education and widens the gap between students of private and government schools. The plea alleges that students are being forced to rely on outdated or reused materials, which is inadequate and contrary to their statutory rights under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, as well as their fundamental right to education under Article 21-A of the Constitution. Calling the lapse a "deliberate and intentional disobedience" of court orders, the petition seeks initiation of contempt action and appropriate punishment of the concerned official in accordance with the law. (ANI)
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