The Bombay high court on Wednesday refused to dispose of the public interest litigation (PIL) seeking direction for the government to reduce weight of school bags, observing that a Government Resoluti
The Bombay high court on Wednesday refused to dispose of the public interest litigation (PIL) seeking direction for the government to reduce weight of school bags, observing that a Government Resolution (GR) has been issued in this regard but the court would wait for implementation of the policy before disposing of the petition.
When the government pleader, Anjali Helekar, told the court that the government has issued a GR to implement the policy to reduce weight of school bags and hence, the petition should be disposed of, the division bench of Justice V.M. Kanade and Justice Revati Mohite-Dere said, “Issuing GR is just the beginning. It is the first step towards creating a policy and, in our opinion, we should wait till the policy is implemented.”
The bench than asked the government to provide a copy of the GR to all schools and ensure that it is implemented.
The court was hearing a PIL filed by social activist, Swati Patil, on the rising weight of school bags and its adverse impact on the health of children. The petitioner said children below the age of 10 are suffering from orthopaedic and stress-induced ailments due to the weight of their school bags.
Soon after the petition was filed, the government appointed a committee, which recommended that one book should be used for three months for each subject and using lighter paper and no hardcover can reduce textbook weight. Further, it suggested use of e-classroom, audio-visual technology and other modern means for teaching.
