The Supreme Court has requested compliance reports from various states and Union Territories regarding the enforcement of Section 12(1)(c) of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009. Failure to submit affidavits may lead to summoning of Education Department Principal Secretaries. The court was addressing a petition concerning the 25% reservation for disadvantaged children in private unaided schools under the RTE Act.
Senior advocate Salman Khurshid, representing the petitioner, presented a chart categorizing states and UTs based on their implementation status of Section 12(1)(c). The categories ranged from those allegedly refusing to implement the provision to those claiming enforcement but lacking proof submission. The bench granted four weeks to certain states and UTs to file affidavits on the faithful implementation of the Act.
The Justice Vikram Nath-led Bench directed specific states and UTs to provide instructions and file appropriate affidavits within the given time frame. Failure to comply may result in summoning the Principal Secretaries of the Education Department. The matter is scheduled for further hearing on July 22, following previous expressions of displeasure over delays in responses from certain states.
