The Supreme Court has reprimanded the governments of Telangana, Punjab, and Jammu & Kashmir for failing to respond to a public interest petition demanding enforcement of the Right to Education (RTE) Act. Their inaction, the court noted, has stalled proceedings in the case.
A Bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sanjay Karol, and Sandeep Mehta expressed frustration over the prolonged delay, pointing out that while other states had submitted their responses, these three remained silent.
“Despite being served notice, no representative from these states has appeared, nor have they filed their responses. The case is being unnecessarily held up due to their inaction,” the Bench observed.
In a stern warning, the court declared that if responses are not filed before the next hearing, the Chief Secretaries of Telangana, Punjab, and Jammu & Kashmir would be required to appear in person.
The petition at the center of this dispute calls for the enforcement of Section 12(1)(c) of the RTE Act, which mandates that private, unaided non-minority schools reserve at least 25% of their entry-level seats for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The court had originally sought responses from the central and state governments in early 2023, but the lack of compliance from these three regions has now prompted judicial intervention.