Vijay Arora
Shimla, September 24
The HP High Court today issued notices to the Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary (Education), Mandi Deputy Commissioner and a Deputy Director (Higher Education) on a petition alleging that the state government had destructed the building and the playground of Vijay Senior Secondary School, Mandi.
A Division Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Ravi Malimath and Justice Jyotsna Rewal Dua passed the order on a letter written to the Chief Justice by a student of Vijay Senior Secondary School and taken up suo motu as a PIL.
The petitioner alleged that during the lockdown, the government destructed the school building, playground and the stage and a vacant space was also covered. He alleged big shopping malls were proposed to be constructed there to benefit rich persons and political leaders.
Earlier, a primary school in the building was closed a few years ago. Now, the government is planning to close the senior secondary school.
The petitioner alleged that poor, orphaned and migrant children were studying in the school and they were being pressured by officials with threats of spoiling their results and were also being given various allurements. The court directed the state authorities to file replies within two weeks.
Courtesy: Tribune News Service