Delhi High Court Issues Warning Over Delay in Textbook Distribution to Government School Students

The Delhi High Court has issued a stern warning, indicating its readiness to initiate suo motu contempt proceedings against the Deputy Director of the Education Department for the government’s failure to provide textbooks to students enrolled in government schools.

A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Manmohan Singh and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora expressed disappointment over the government’s failure to fulfill its commitment of supplying textbooks to students by May 10, as stated in its affidavit submitted on May 2. The court noted with concern that a report dated May 15 indicated a delay in completing the distribution until July, well past the start of summer vacations.

The bench strongly criticized the delay, emphasizing the unfairness of setting deadlines and subsequently failing to adhere to them. It cautioned that failure to comply with stated deadlines could result in the court taking action.

However, the court refrained from issuing contempt notices after Delhi government standing counsel Santosh Kumar Tripathi assured that textbooks would be distributed to students when schools reopen in July after the summer break. Tripathi provided an undertaking that the government would adhere to the revised timeline outlined in the May 15 status report.

While the court had initially considered initiating contempt proceedings based on the May 2 affidavit, it postponed any action pending compliance with the new undertaking provided by the government’s counsel.

The case, filed as a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) by the organization Social Jurist, addresses the broader issue of inadequate facilities in Delhi’s government schools.

According to the May 15 report, textbooks had yet to be supplied to 4,215 out of 7,073 government schools, representing 59.5% of schools. Additionally, the report highlighted that only 23.25 lakh books out of a total demand of approximately 1.08 crore had been supplied, indicating a significant shortfall in meeting student needs.

The bench has scheduled further hearings on the matter for July, seeking to address the delays and ensure timely provision of essential educational resources to students in government schools.