The Supreme Court of India on Monday refused to entertain a plea seeking direction to the Centre and states to consider and take a time-bound decision with regard to the physical re-opening of schools and conduct of offline teaching. The top court has said that it cannot direct states to reopen schools for physical teaching.
The PIL was filed by a Delhi-based student seeking directions for the phased reopening of physical schools. “It is not a matter where judicial directions can be issued,” the Court has observed.
“Complexities of the matter is such that we will have to leave it to the governments. Supreme Court can’t take over governance. Let governments take these decisions,” the Bench said while asking the petitioner’s advocate to withdraw the plea.
The top court added that governments have taken a decision for the phased reopening of schools and these are plans that should be left to the government.
“Courts have to be very careful. There is no data. Schools were opened abroad also, we know what happened. We don’t want to name. Children have also to be vaccinated. You may withdraw this petition,” Justice Chandrachud told advocate Ravi Prakash Mehrotra, appearing for the petitioner student.
Amar Prem Prakash, a class XII student from Delhi, had raised the issue of deprivation and ill-effects, both psychological and actual, of school children being kept away from attending their schools physically and having to join their classes virtually instead.
