The Delhi High Court has directed the state government to take all requisite steps in order to make the website of ‘Delhi School Tribunal’ (DST) fully functional.
A Division Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Navin Chawla passed this direction in a PIL filed by Advocate Anuj Aggarwal, stating that DST does not have an official website of its own for uploading the daily/final orders, case status, notifications, circulars, etc.
The Bench was informed that the website has been created.
The Petitioner argued that litigants and counsels are required to either apply the certified copies of the daily/ final orders or have to inspect the court files, leading to undue hardship.
However, the Petitioner submitted that the website is defective, inasmuch as no orders are uploaded and one needs the signature of Presiding officer to login.
The Apex Court has listed the matter on 12 May for the compliance of the Court order.
The Delhi High Court on March 15 , sought response from the Delhi Lieutenant Governor, the Delhi Government and the Delhi School Tribunal over a plea alleging inaction on their part in creating an official website of the Tribunal wherein daily and final orders passed by the Tribunal could be uploaded.
The Division Bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi issued notice in a plea filed by a practising Advocate who happens to be regularly appearing before the Tribunal.
“Considering the fact that the Delhi School Tribunal hears grievances related to teachers and other employees of schools in Delhi and therefore has to undertake hearing in public dealing, it is imperative that it should have its own official website in this day and age,” noted the Bench while directing the respondents to file a status report on the issue.
At the outset, the Delhi School Tribunal (DST) is constituted under the Delhi School Education Act, 1973, to adjudicate upon the appeals preferred by the aggrieved employees of the recognized private schools who are either dismissed, removed or reduced in rank by the school authorities.
The instant petition, filed by Advocate Anuj Aggarwal, states that in today’s digital age when almost all the courts in the country, including the District Courts, have an official website, the fact that the DST does not have an official website for providing the daily orders, final orders, case status, notifications, circulars, etc., is troublesome for the litigants as well as their counsels who are forced to either apply for the certified copies of the daily/final orders or to inspect the court files.
In light of the above, pointing out that even the daily cause list of the Tribunal is uploaded on a private blog-spot, which is neither the official website nor provides any other information, the plea seeks a direction for creating an official website of the Delhi School Tribunal, Delhi, for uploading the daily and final orders, notifications, circulars and the like.