Delhi HC Probes Claim 6 Lakh Students Denied Monetary Benefits Due to Non-Operational Bank Accounts

NEW DELHI: Delhi High Court, on Monday, asked city government and Municipal Corporation to respond to a plea raised by an NGO which alleges that six lakh government school students are being deprived of statutory monetary benefits due to non-operational bank accounts. In its petition, NGO Social Jurist claimed that 2,69,488 students in Delhi government schools and 3,83,203 MCD school students are being denied statutory benefits such as uniforms, writing materials and scholarships guaranteed to m under Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act and Delhi School Education Act due to m allegedly not having bank accounts. 

plea referred to this alleged denial of benefits as ‘arbitrary', ‘unjust’, ‘malafide’, ‘discriminatory’ and 'unethical’ while also stating that it violates ir Fundamental Right to Education.   

petitioner, represented by vocates Ashok Agarwal and Kumar Utkarsh, sought a direction from court to concerned authorities so that y ensure se students have working bank accounts and, in meantime, y are paid through cheque statutory benefits y are supposed to receive.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet PS Arora issued a notice to Delhi government, its education department and MCD seeking replies on this matter which has been listed for furr hearing on April 10.