The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court on Monday dismissed a plea raising issues related to the implementation of standard operating procedure (SOP) adopted by schools through e-learning and said, “the plea represents a regressive step in the field of education”.
Hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by one Imran Israel Sheikh, a Division Bench of Justices Sunil Shukre and S.M. Modak said, the petition does not point out any inherent contradictions, defects and lacunae in the SOP to term it arbitrary, irrational or unreasonable.
The court noted, “Today, we are in 21st Century where the world is being governed digitally in a greater way and therefore, the SOP which prescribes e-learning and promotes digital and virtual methods of learning cannot but be hailed as a big progressive measure taken by the government in making digital position of India stronger and firmer in the Comity of Nations. If the SOP encourages e-learning, any citizen of India questioning its intentions and purposes would only be acting against interest and well being of his own country.”
“A citizen of India, however, may come across some issues in effective implementation of the SOP but for that matter his duty would be to point out the same to the concerned authority, so that necessary corrective measures are taken,” the Bench remarked.
Disposing of the PIL, the court said, “It would be better for the petitioner to first approach the concerned authorities for what he sees as defects or lacunae in the implementation of the SOP, of course with necessary facts and proofs, and not just surmises or imaginary facts, and if the petitioner does not get any appropriate response from the authorities, in spite of submission of legally acceptable proof, the petitioner would be at liberty to knock at the doors of this Court.”
