Patna. Annoyed, the High Court has imposed a fine of five thousand rupees on the Under Secretary of the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for not appearing even after being summoned by the court. A division bench of Justice PB Bajantri and Justice Jitendra Kumar gave this order while hearing the contempt petition filed by Sujit Suman. Earlier, the Patna High Court had imposed a fine on the Under Secretary of the Education Department for not appearing on the date.
The High Court had given instructions in August 2021
This case pertains to the appointment of the petitioner in the Ministry of Road Transport after being selected in the Central SCC examination. The court was told on behalf of the petitioner that the High Court had ordered the Central Government in August 2021 to take a concrete decision regarding the reinstatement of the petitioner within two months. But even after two years, the decision could not be taken till now, that is why this contempt petition has been filed. He told the Court that the petitioner was recommended for reinstatement as Lower Division Clerk in the Ministry of Road Transport after being selected from the ACC exam.
Under Secretary was to appear on July 4, 2023
Thereafter, the said Ministry sent the petitioner to work under the Border Road Organization where he was declared medically unfit. Seeing his career hanging in balance, the petitioner filed a petition in the Patna High Court. On July 4, 2023, the angry bench had ordered the Under Secretary to appear for non-compliance of the order for two years, but he did not appear in the High Court in the hearing. Additional Solicitor General Dr. KN Singh told the court that due to the mistake of the lawyer concerned, the order of the court could not be sent to the Under Secretary.
How much grant was given for 25 percent quota in private schools
Here, under the implementation of the Right to Free and Compulsory Education to the children of classes one to eight under the state plan, the students enrolled under 25 percent quota in the approved private schools, of the weaker and unprofitable groups, are entitled to financial assistance for reimbursement of the girl students. The High Court, taking a serious stand on not accepting and releasing the amount given in form, has summoned the reply from the state government in two weeks. A division bench of Chief Justice K Vinod Chandran and Justice Parthasarathy gave this direction while hearing a public interest litigation filed by Abhishek Kumar and others regarding the matter.
Amount not being provided on time
Advocate Awadhesh Kumar Mishra, on behalf of the petitioner, told the court that the amount allocated for reimbursement to 25 percent of the students enrolled in the weak and unprofitable group of private and approved schools in Bihar is not being made available on time. He said that funds are being allocated by the government under the rules and regulations made for this, but funds are being made available in schools in some districts and this amount is not being available in schools in some districts. This is being done in violation of
A letter was written to all the district education officers of the state
Mishra told the court that on December 19, 2022, Additional Chief Secretary Deepak Kumar Singh would have written a letter to all the District Education Officers and all the District Program Officers of the state. In the letter, he has said that under the implementation of the right of children to free and compulsory education under the state scheme, time has been made available to the concerned schools for reimbursement of 25 percent of the students enrolled in weak and unprofitable groups in the approved private schools. Go Even after the issue of this letter, there are many such schools. Where this amount has not been made available.
Total amount One billion three crore twenty six lakh eighty thousand five hundred and twenty rupees
He told the court that in the financial year 2022-23, under the implementation of the right of free and compulsory education to the children under the state plan, the financial year for the reimbursement of the students enrolled in the weak and unprofitable group under 25 percent quota in the approved private schools. For the year 2018-19, the remaining amount of one billion three crore twenty six lakh eighty thousand five hundred twenty rupees was sanctioned, but in spite of that this amount was not made available. Due to this, the government is facing a lot of problems in the law and its implementation to provide free and compulsory education to the children of classes one to eight. Children of weak and poor sections are being deprived of education.
