No RTE seats in linguistic minority schools for a month: HC

The High Court, on Wednesday, directed the State government to consider the applications of institutions seeking linguistic minority status within a month.

The court said that there will not be admissions under the Right to Education (RTE) Act for a month.

Hearing a petition by a few educational institutions and the Karnataka State Unaided Minority Education Federation, Justice Anand Byrareddy directed the government to furnish the list of institutions that have been accorded linguistic minority status.The petitioners had moved the High Court, stating that they have filed applications seeking the status long ago, but the government was yet to consider them. 

“As per Supreme Court directions, we do not come under the RTE Act,” they submitted and sought that the government order to bring them under the RTE Act be set aside.

Advocate General Ravivarma Kumar submitted that the government was ready to consider the applications, but sought a direction to the schools to comply with the RTE Act. 

“Students will be deprived of their fundamental right to education,” he said. However Justice Reddy refused to buy the argument, stating that the court cannot give such orders. 

‘Cannot pressure schools’

“The government cannot pressure schools to implement the RTE Act, unless they decide on the minority status,” the court said. The government submitted that it will consider the minority status applications within a month.

The court dismissed the petition of parents who had challenged the decision of the institutions, refusing to admit students under RTE, citing minority status.