New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday
directed the Jharkhand and Tripura governments to ensure that
all schools and hostels of educational institutions are free
from the occupation of security forces within two months.
The apex court also expressed its displeasure against
the Assam Government for not furnishing details about the
number of schools occupied by the security forces and
threatened that non-compliance of its orders would compel it
to summon the Chief Secretary.
A Bench comprising Justices BS Sudershan Reddy and SS Nijjar refused to give longer breathing period to the state
governments for implementing its direction.
The Jharkhand government counsel said 26 of the 47
school buildings have been freed from the presence of the
para-military and state police and sought another six months
to fulfil the apex court order.
Declining the plea, the Bench said, "the Jharkhand
Government is directed to free the schools from the occupation
of security forces within two months".
The identical direction came for the Tripura
Government which said only 16 schools out of 4000 are under
the occupation of the central forces and due to insurgency
reason it would take another six months for its removal.
Further, the bench, which had asked the Ministry of
Development of North Eastern Region (DONER) to hold meetings
with seven North Eastern states on various aspects of
development, made it party to the petition.
The court during the earlier hearings had expressed
its displeasure that government did not respond to its order
on the "serious" issue of ensuring that all schools and
hostels of educational institutions should be kept away from
the occupation of security forces.
The apex court by its September 1 and November 15 last
and January 10 orders this year had asked the Centre to
"clearly state as to how many of the educational institutions
in the country are under the occupation of security
forces/para military forces".
"You cannot allow the schools and colleges under the
occupation of the security forces," a Bench comprising
Justices B Sudershan Reddy and S S Nijjar said and asked the
Defence, Home and Human Resource Development Ministries to
respond.
The apex court had asked Manipur and Assam to file an
affidavit in response to the suggestions given by NCPCR.
The court had passed the directions during the hearing
of the petition relating to the exploitation and trafficking
of children who were recovered from an illegal orphange in
Tamil Nadu last year.
Majority of the children were from north-eastern
states, who were lured to Tamil Nadu on the pretext of being
given better education.
PTI
