The Telangana High Court in Hyderabad has directed the state government to provide a detailed compliance report on the implementation of Section 12(1)(c) of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009. This section mandates that all private unaided schools in Telangana reserve 25 percent of seats in Class I and pre-school education for children from weaker sections and economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
The directive came from a Division Bench led by Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Anil Kumar Jukanti during a hearing. Chief Justice Aradhe stressed the importance of adhering to the Act, instructing the Additional Advocate General to file an affidavit detailing which institutions in the state have complied with the reservation mandate. The court set a deadline for this report to be submitted by the next hearing.
The court proceedings were initiated based on a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Advocate Thandava Yogesh from Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh. The PIL sought directions to enforce Section 12(1)(c) of the RTE Act uniformly across all private unaided schools in Telangana. The petitioner argued that the failure to reserve seats for disadvantaged children violates constitutional guarantees of equality and the right to life.
The court has adjourned further proceedings until the submission of the compliance report by the state government.