Can you fund poor pupils? HC to Bar Council

14 Kids Not Allowed In Chembur School

Rosy Sequeira TNN

Mumbai: The Bombay high court on Friday asked the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa if it could get its members to support the education of 50-and-odd underprivileged students of some private unaided schoolsin the city. A division bench of Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice Nitin Jamdar washearing a petition filed by the parents of SC/ ST children, after 14 students were denied entry to Chembur English School, which also withheld the marksheets of three others. Similar applications were filed by parents of other schools’students. 

    The court’s plea came after the state did not comply with its April28,2011order to reimburse thefees and arrearsof 13lakhstudents across Maharashtra. The state challenged the order in the Supreme Court but lost. The order pertained to a PIL filedin 2010by the parents after their children were barred from attending classes. The schools said they would have to shut down if neither the parents nor the government paid. Petitioners’ advocate Gayatri Singh argued “thousandsof croresof education cess remained unutilized andthe governmentwas not complying withcourt’sorder”. 

    Justice Shah requested office-bearer of Bar Council advocateUday Warunjikar toexplore the possibility of lawyers sponsoring the education of the children, as was done by Ahmedabad HC lawyers. “Arrears of Rs 30,000-60,000 per studenthave accumulated as the state discontinuedthefreeship in 2010with retrospective effect from 2007,” said Justice Shah. Warunjikar said Bar Council supported the endeavour but there might be slight delay as the matter would be approved at its next week’s meeting. But given that junior college admissions would close soon, Justice Jamdar said HC bar associationscould alsohelp. 

    Senior advocate V A Thorat offered to sponsor a student of Shardashram Vidyamandir in Dadar. A security guard’s son, the boy has cleared his SSC but theschoolhas refusedto release his leaving certificate unless he paid aroundRs40,000,whichhas accumulated over years. “Such cases should be highlighted so that peoplewhowishtocontributecan help,” saidJustice Shah. 

Source::: The Times of India, 07-07-2012, p.04. http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Client.asp?Daily=TOIM&showST=true&login=default&pub=TOI&Enter=true&Skin=TOINEW