The Delhi High Court today closed the contempt proceedings against the Directorate of Education (DoE) while lauding its efforts for providing on its website all data pertaining to facilities for disabled kids in private unaided schools.
A bench of justices S Ravindra Bhat and R K Gauba while appreciating the efforts of the DoE also observed that it could have done so much earlier.
The order was passed after DoE submitted before the court that it has inspected 351 private unaided schools in the capital and of these 231 were found to have facilities to cater to children with special needs (CWSN).
It also told the bench that the details of the facilities available in the 231 schools have been uploaded on its website www.Edudel.Nic.In and are easily accessible from a scroll running on the left side of the site.
While closing the contempt proceedings, the bench listed the matter on February 25 to examine the issue of admission process of disabled kids and how it can be monitored by the nodal agencies set up by DoE.
The submissions by DoE came pursuant to the court's directions to it to give on its website "zone-wise" details of private unaided schools which could cater to the requirement of CWSN in the 2015-16 academic year.
It had also directed DoE to inspect the schools and verify the information given by them.
The court was hearing a contempt plea filed by Pramod Arora, through senior advocate Kirti Uppal and advocate Anshumaan Sahni, alleging that the court's May 7, 2014, order to reserve seats for CWSN in schools that can cater to them has not been complied with.
Arora, father of a differently-abled child, had initially challenged the Lieutenant Governor's nursery admission guidelines which clubbed CWSN with children belonging economically weaker section (EWS) category.
Pursuant to this, the high court had held that the clubbing of CWSN with EWS for nursery admissions was illegal.
