CUTTACK: The recently concluded Suravi-2024 state-level children’s festival has come under judicial scrutiny with the Orissa High Court issuing a notice to the state authorities over violation of guidelines in the selection of a student to participate in it.
Admitting a petition filed by Ananya Mahalik, a student of Class-IX in MN High School of Pattamundai in Kendrapara district, the single judge bench of Justice Biraja Prasanna Satapathy on Thursday issued notice and directed the state counsel A Mohanty to seek instructions from the government. The court posted the matter to November 22 for further consideration.
“As an interim measure, it is directed that till the next date, result of the state-level competition SURAVI-2024 Essay writing (senior category) in respect of participant sponsored from Kendrapara district shall not be published,” Justice Satapathy also specified in the order.
Suravi-2024, which was held in Bhubaneswar from November 12, is a scheme of the School and Mass Education department for promoting co-curricular activities among the students.
According to the petition, the Suravi-2024 guidelines said students/candidates who stood first in the district-level competition are to be sponsored/selected to participate in the state-level competition in essay writing (senior category).
Ananya was sponsored for the district-level competition after she stood first at the block-level and got the certificate of appreciation. She then stood first in district-level competition and got the certificate of appreciation on November 8, 2024. However, instead of her, a student of Derabish High School was sponsored by the district education officer to the Suravi competition, she alleged.
Making submissions on her behalf, advocate Ashwariya Dash said, “Law is well-settled in case of competitions, fairness is to be ensured or else, it will be violative of fundamental rights under Articles-14 and 16 of the Constitution of India. In the case at hand, the rights of the petitioner were infringed due to lackadaisical and callous attitude of the authorities.”