Nagpur: The Nagpur Bench of the High Court has issued contempt notices to senior officials of the Education Department, including Maharashtra Education Secretary Ranjitsingh Deol, for failing to comply with a court order related to the reimbursement of fees under the Right to Education (RTE) Act.
The contempt petition was filed by Tulsi Education Society and others, alleging that despite the High Court’s directive issued on October 9, 2024, no action had been taken by the government to release the due payments for admissions made under the 25% RTE quota. The order had instructed the state government to resolve the matter within six weeks, but even after six months, no decision had been made.
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In response, the court has issued notices to Ranjitsingh Deol (Education Secretary), O.P. Agarwal (Council of Education), Sharad Gosavi (Director of Primary Education), Ulhas Narad (Deputy Director), and Sanjay Kumar (Secretary, Government of India), directing them to file their responses.
During the hearing, the petitioners referred to a similar case (Writ Petition 5212/2024) where a Division Bench had ordered the state to act within a set timeframe. In that case, the Education Officer (Primary) had assured that once the proposal was forwarded and found valid, payment would be made within six weeks.
The High Court, in this petition as well, had expected the District Council to send the payment proposal within four weeks and the state government to disburse the funds within six weeks thereafter. The court also clarified that if any claims were rejected or partially paid, the petitioners would retain the right to seek redress under the law.
With no action taken so far, the court’s intervention once again puts pressure on the authorities to comply and ensure timely reimbursement under the RTE scheme.
