MADURAI
A law student moved the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday seeking a direction to the Centre to release grant-in-aid to two Harijan Sevak Sangh schools functioning in Madurai and Kallakurichi districts. If the Centre did not release the funds, the schools might be closed down, the petitioner said.
In his public interest litigation petition, M. Muthuselvam of Madurai said Harijan Sevak Sangh was founded by Mahatma Gandhi in 1932 with the main objectives of eradicating untouchability and working for the upliftment of the Scheduled Caste people and the downtrodden.
The petitioner said no funds had been released to N.M.R. Subbaraman Memorial Residential Primary School in Madurai and a similar residential middle school in Kallakurichi district.
Right to Education was a fundamental right guaranteed under the Constitution and the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment was duty bound to release the funds for effective functioning of the schools, he said.
A Division Bench of Justices M. Duraiswamy and T. Ravindran ordered notice to the Centre and the State and adjourned the hearing in the case.
