Bombay High Court: What is govt doing about schoolbags

The Bombay high court on Wednesday asked the government of Maharashtra to inform it within two weeks whether it had implemented the policy regarding reducing the weight of schoolbags carried by students and, if not, then what steps it had taken to implement it. In the meantime, the state government assured another bench of the HC that it would form a committee to regularise school fees.

The division bench headed by Justice Abhay Oka said that the government had issued the first GR on November 30, 2015 to reduce the weight of schoolbags but it had not been implemented so far. When government pleader Purnima Kantharia sought time to file a reply, the court allowed it two weeks’ time with a warning that no further time would be granted.

The bench was hearing a PIL filed by Swati Patil, which contends that the heavy load carried by students has adverse health effects.

The court also asked whether the policy, published in a circular last year, would apply to all schools, aided and non-aided, etc. The petitioner’s lawyer argued that the rules should apply to all the schools, otherwise the purpose of framing the policy would not serve any purpose.

On the other hand, the division bench headed by Chief Justice D.H. Waghela adjourned hearing on petition seeking directions to government to regularise school fees. The petitioner claimed that a case was registered at Sri Nagar police station against Billabong international school for allegedly detaining students over non-payment of fees. The school had denied the allegation. The petitioner claimed that the school had increased the fees too much, which was not allowed. On the other hand, it was argued on behalf of the school that as per a Government Resolution (GR), unaided school management could hike the fees after taking the executive committee’s permission and the state could not interfere in this.

The government pleader informed the court that the state government had the power to interfere in the matter of fees whether the school was aided or unaided and the government would form a committee within two months, which would regularise fees for all schools.