Karnataka HC verdict on online classes likely today

The Karnataka High Court is likely to pronounce its orders on petitions challenging the ban on online classes on Tuesday. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Nataraj Rangaswamy on Monday concluded the hearing on the batch of petitions.

During the hearing, Advocate General Prabhuling K Navadgi submitted that the ban was only an interim arrangement. He said several factors were considered, including educational as well as health aspects of the children. The government will take a decision on the recommendations of the Committee on Technology Enabled Education, he said.

The Advocate General said that of the total 1.44 crore school-going children in the state, 57 lakh students study in Kannada medium while 42 lakh children study in English medium. He further said that around 45 lakh children study in rural areas as against around 58 lakh in urban areas.

Appearing for the schools, senior advocate Uday Holla said that the state government's order banning online classes based on a letter from Nimhans dated May 19, 2020 was illegal. "While World Health Organisation (WHO) says online classes must be held, Nimhans letter says according to the UN health agency, children below 6 years of age should use the screens less than one to one-and-a-half hours. There is no mention of scientific data in the letter," he said.