The Punjab and Haryana High Court recently disposed of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by one Ramandeep Singh, citing that the ‘Safe School Vahan Scheme’ encompasses boarding schools within its purview.
This scheme, established in 2017, aims to provide secure transportation and road safety for school-going children.
The State counsel, after seeking instructions, has submitted that the concept of ‘school’ recognized by the said Scheme very well includes ‘boarding school’ since there is no such exclusionary clause in the Scheme for excluding the ‘boarding school’ out of the purview of the expression ‘school’.
In view of the above, the apprehension expressed by counsel for the petitioner in regard to the said Scheme does not exist any more and, therefore the Division Bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Anil Kshetarpal disposed of the Petition.
The ‘Safe School Vahan Scheme’ was instituted following a 2017 judgment (CWP-6907-2009) to ensure safe transportation and road safety for school children.
The scheme’s scope includes providing sufficient transportation and safety measures for school buses.