Kolkata, Aug 10 The Calcutta High Court on Monday directed the Commissioner of School Education (CSE) to inquire and find out how many private schools in Kolkata and Howrah are running from private premises without affiliation and recognition.
The order was passed during the hearing of a petition filed by Tawheed International School and Welfare Trust in Howrah, which the authorities had closed for allegedly operating the institution under unsafe conditions.
Justice Amrita Sinha directed the CSE to hold an inquiry in the two cities to find out how many private schools are operating from private premises without affiliation and recognition, having obtained NOCs from the district inspector of schools.
Justice Sinha directed that the reports be circulated among the parties in the case by September 10 and that the matter would appear for hearing again on September 14.
The court also directed the state respondents to file a report, affirmed by the deputy secretary of the Fire and Emergency Services department of West Bengal, detailing how copies of official communications were marked to private parties in the matter.
The deputy secretary was also directed to explain how official notings in the file reached an applicant, who wanted to join the proceedings as an added party.
The court said that he also annexed a copy of an official communication dated June 16, where an action-taken-report was sought over the three complaints against the particular private school.
Challenging the closure of the premises, the school authorities stated that the educational institution has a total student strength of 381 and that it runs from the junior classes till class 8.
The petitioners alleged that on June 3, certain individuals claiming to be from the office of the district magistrate of Howrah visited the school and forcefully locked it.
Claiming that they were not given any intimation as to why the school was locked out, its authorities argued that the students were suffering, and online classes had to be arranged for them.
According to a report from the district inspector of schools (secondary education), Howrah, to the CSE, the institute was running in unsafe conditions prevailing in the premises.
The DI of Schools primarily raised safety issues for the closure of the premises, the report stated.
