Order reserved on petition claiming Afghan students were deprived of RTE benefits
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has reserved its order on a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by 46 Afghan refugee students of MCD-run school Jangpura over denial of Right to Education (RTE) Act. They are being given the benefits of clothes, scholarship etc. by alleging that they have not opened a bank account. A bench of Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora reserved the verdict on Friday after completion of the arguments of all the parties.
Petitioner Social Jurist, a civil rights group, through advocate Ashok Aggarwal said that the Afghanistan refugee students studying in MCD Primary School, Jangpura Extension, New Delhi are deprived of the statutory monetary benefits guaranteed under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act. . 2009 read with Delhi Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules, 2011 on the alleged ground of non-opening of bank account. The petition, filed through advocates Ashok Aggarwal and Kumar Utkarsh, said that the action on the part of the respondents in depriving the refugee students of Afghanistan of statutory benefits is arbitrary, unjust, malicious, discriminatory, immoral, anti-child and violative of the fundamental right to education. Is a violation of.
The petition stated that the respondent Delhi Government and the respondent MCD In case of Rs., funds are transferred to the students’ account in exchange for providing textbooks, stationery and uniforms. Relevant Rule 8 of the Delhi Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules, 2011. It further states that the respondent MCD Primary School, Jangpura Extension, New Delhi has an enrollment of 178 students. It is submitted that 73 out of 178 Afghanistan refugee students are studying in the school. It is also submitted that all the students of the respondent MCD Primary School, Jangpura Extension are receiving the statutory monetary benefits through their bank account, except 46 Afghanistan refugee students who do not have bank accounts.
The petitioner also stated that the issue of denial of statutory monetary benefits to refugee students from Afghanistan on the alleged grounds of non-operation of bank accounts or non-opening of bank accounts in the absence of KYC was brought to the notice of the respondent by the petitioner vide letter dated 19.08. I went. .2023 and reminder letter dated 01.09.2023. Through representation, it was suggested to provide cash to the students if they face difficulty in opening or operating a bank account. However, nothing has been done so far. It is submitted that the money meant to be paid to the students is lying with the MCD school.
