The division bench comprising Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Nataraj Rangaswamy heard the PIL filed by Anumitha Sharma and 22 others from Bengaluru.
The division bench on Monday said that it would take up two other petitions, filed by educational institutions challenging both June 11 and June 15 orders of the state government pertaining to the ban on online classes, also on Friday.
The counsel, appearing for the state government, stated that the ban on online classes will be in force only till the guidelines are framed. The counsel for the petitioner contended that the notification imposed blanket ban on online classes and the guidelines have been proposed for conducting online classes from 6th standard onwards.
During the hearing, the court asked the state government whether banning the online classes violates the provision under Article 21-A of the Constitution (free and compulsory education).
The bench asked if the online classes be permitted for a few hours in a day. The court also observed that online class facility could be available only to the cities and asked the government as to what could be done to the students in the rural areas.
The petition challenging the legality of the ban was filed by parents of students studying in classes 1 to 5 in the state. The petitioners contended that prohibition of online education was arbitrary.
The state government, on June 11, 2020, had banned the online classes for children from KG to class 5. The ban was based on a report submitted by director NIMHANS.
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