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Karnatka: The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday expressed displeasure at the State government for not providing necessary information and details about the distribution of uniforms, shoes and socks to students of all government schools.
A Division Bench of Justices B Veerappa and MG Uma said that just an affidavit stating that the children had been provided with the necessary articles was not enough to escape contempt proceedings.
“When State official is sent to jail, school children will get uniforms, shoes and socks. If we send top official to jail, then people understand that Court will save us. If officials are shameless, they go to jail and come back. Then we we can’t do anything. Even Court has also somewhere lost faith in the government,” the Bench observed during the hearing.
The Court was hearing a contempt petition filed on behalf of an eight-year-old student from Koppal District saying that the Court’s order of August 28, 2019 requiring two sets of uniforms, two pairs of socks, and a pair of shoes to be provided to government school students was not being followed.
During an earlier hearing, the Court had sought a detailed affidavit indicating the implementation of its orders and had warned of consequences if State’s lapses continued.
The affidavit filed by Director of Samagra Shikshana Abhiyan said that the government had released funds for purchase of uniforms, which were given to students in all government schools in all 35 districts in the academic years 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23.
The Court noted that no document was provided to substantiate the claim that the uniforms, shoes and socks were issued to all students in all districts, and remarked that a mere affidavit was not enough to escape contempt charges.
Therefore, it directed the Directors of Education of all districts of Karnataka to specify how much money was released for the uniforms and how much was put to good use.
