Civil rights group urges CJI to take judicial note of poor condition of Madhya Pradesh schools

New Delhi, Aug 16 (PTI) A civil rights group, Social Jurist, on Friday wrote a letter to Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud urging him to take "judicial note" of the condition of state-run schools in Madhya Pradesh.

The NGO, in its letter petition, attached several pictures to highlight the “poor conditions”, including dilapidated the buildings, of as many as five schools in Khajuraho district of the state.

"It is respectfully submitted that these are only samples which clearly indicate that lakhs of students enrolled with Madhya Pradesh government-run schools are studying not only in dangerous school buildings but also studying in school buildings not having adequate desk, benches and adequate water supply," lawyer Ashok Agarwal, advisor to ‘Social Jurist’, wrote in the letter.

The letter said the government schools should have state-of-art buildings.

"It is also submitted that no sweeper is posted in any of the schools due to which all the washrooms remain in unhygienic condition...there is severe shortage of teachers in the schools compared with numbers of students enrolled. The government of Madhya Pradesh must immediately make arrangements for teachers for students,"it said.

The poor and unhygienic condition of schools in the state violate the right to education as guaranteed to students under Articles 14, 21 and 21-A (right to equality, protection of life and personal Liberty and right to get free and compulsory education, respectively), it said.

The school uniforms are made of synthetic material which may cause skin problems, it said.

"The inactions as highlighted show the Madhya Pradesh government flagrantly violating the human and fundamental rights to education of students and therefore, by this letter we are seeking intervention of this Hon'ble Court to treat the present letter petition as a PIL and request your Lordships to issue necessary directions to the government of Madhya Pradesh,” it said.

One of the associates of the NGO recently visited government schools in Khajuraho district and they included “the CM Rise Government Senior Secondary School, Government Utkrisht Middle School, Government Utkrisht Senior Secondary Vidyalaya, Raj Nagar, Government Primary School, Bandargarh and Government Primary School, Chobar". PTI SJK SJK SK SK