HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court (HC) pulled up the State government authorities on Friday for not implementing the Right to Education Act (RTE), 2009 and sought a counter affidavit to explain the failure to do so. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, or RTE Act, came into effect in the State on April 2010. Under the Act, all private schools need to provide 25 per cent seats to children from weaker sections and disadvantaged groups for free. A batch of PILs submitted that 10 academic years have gone by without a single admission to private schools under the RTE Act. They sought the State to implement the Act from the 2020-21 academic year. A bench of Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice B Vijaysen Reddy was hearing these PILs on Friday. Though the Act has come into effect from April 1, 2010, the inaction of the government in implementing the same has infringed upon the fundamental rights of more than 10 lakh children belonging to weaker sections and disadvantaged groups. When the government counsel sought some time for filing counter affidavit on the issue, the bench posted the matter to September 4 for further hearing.
Courts can’t interfere in enactment of law: HC
Clarifying that the judicial forum is not a place to raise academic issue with regard to a law, the Telangana High Court on friday dismissed a PIL seeking to amend Section 376 (punishment for rape) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The enactment of a law is a legislative policy decision, and such a policy decision cannot be interfered lightly by the Courts, the bench comprising Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice B Vijaysen Reddy observed. The petitioner contented that a provision of Section 376 does not prescribe capital punishment as one of the punishments to the alleged offender. He urged the court to direct the Ministry of Law and Justice and Home Ministry to make necessary amendments to the IPC for the purpose.