NEW DELHI: Every Saturday, 9 am onwards, hundreds of people gather at chamber number 479 Western Wing at Tis Hazari court to meet with Advocate Ashok Agarwal, who has made thousands aware of the government policy under which people from the economically weaker sections (EWS) and are entitled to free treatment at private hospitals built on government land.
“There are 60 such hospitals in the city with 953 beds reserved for the poor. A poor fellow comes to me to seek help in applying the bed, gets treatment, goes back to his village and spreads the word. It is wonderful! It is a very big achievement for them. Thousands of people have benefited from the provision of 10 per cent charity beds meant for the EWS category,” Agarwal told TNIE.
The visitors at his chamber on Saturday also include parents of those who fail to get admission at private schools under the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) category quota. “It seems like there is a fare going on at court premises. There have been days when we have entertained 1,000 people in a day from 9 am to 9 pm.” the 67-year-old said.
In 2002, even before the government came with the Right To Education Act, Agarwal filed a petition at High Court to get 20 per cent reservation for EWS candidates at private schools in the capital. At a very early age in life, Agarwal learnt to fight for the right of the poor. In 1969, he started appearing with his father at the labour court to fight for the working class. He assisted his father in the first half of the day and attended college in the evening.
“My father was an office bearer at the trade union. He wasn’t an advocate but used to file petitions on behalf of the working class. I assisted him for seven years and later went on to pursue a law degree from Agra University in 1973,” he said. After he started his practice, he took up cases of workers. “I used to charge a very nominal amount. If one failed to pay it, I still fought their case,” he claimed.
In 1975, he started a newspaper with the name, ‘Work Kranti’, to bring across struggles of the poor. “That newspaper lasted for about a year and half,” the jurist said. In 1997, he achieved great success by filing countless PILs regarding infrastructure of government schools and fee hikes at private schools.
“I filed a PIL against fee hike in private schools. After the 5th pay commission, there was a fee hike in schools varying from 40 per cent to 400 per cent. Hundreds of parents gathered on the roads together to protest against it. We filed a petition against it and the High Court gave a decision in our favour. The schools went to Supreme Court with their pleas that were dismissed,” he said, adding that this protest led to the foundation of Delhi Abhibhavak Mahasangh, which came to be known as All India Parents’ Association in the mid-2000s. It is headed by Agarwal and has its representatives across the country.
He added, “the infrastructure of government schools was in a really bad condition. There were no boundaries, no playgrounds, no drinking water. Sadly, a 7 to 8 years old kid died after getting hit by a truck on the road outside his school in Dwarka. He had gone out to have water. I with a few lawyers filed a petition and got the kid’s family a compensation of Rs 2 lakh. The High Court-monitored them for 10 years.”
His fight for the rights of poor children at government schools has been on ever since. “Later, the fight was for uniform, mid-day meals, teacher appointments etc,” he stressed. For Agarwal, there is huge satisfaction and pleasure in the social work, he does. “I have drawn a clear line between professional work and socio-legal work. There is huge satisfaction in social work...all the kids are like my kids.”
Sharing an year-old experience at Rajputana School in the Cantonment, he said: “I went there to find that there is no teacher in the class. I asked a 5th class student to read what was on the blackboard. He couldn’t. The school building was very old and could collapse at any moment.”
The High Court directed the immediate evacuation of the school and children were shifted to another building. “The quality of education is still a huge issue. A lot needs to be done in the field to ensure a good education,” he said.
Education Sector
Agarwal has visited schools in various states of the country and written letters to their respective chief justices, demanding for action on the lack of facilities.
Last year, he visited Mewat in Rajasthan and found that about 450 kids were studying in a school whose building was in a very poor condition. He wrote to the state’s Chief Justice and within 15 days the authorities ordered reconstruction of the school.
Health Sector
About 6 years ago, Agarwal filed a PIL against the unavailability of X-Ray films at Hindu Rao Hospital here. The problem was promptly addressed after that.
In 1997, a PIL at the Delhi HC helped patients at a hospital in Kingsway Camp get free medicine and supplies.