The Government of Bihar through its Chief Secretary filed an affidavit before the Patna High Court stating that it is not possible to call back students stranded in Kota as per the Central government guidelines on COVID 19 lockdown.
The bench presided by Chief Justice Sanjay Karol was hearing a petition filed by Advocate Ajay Thakur via WhatsApp seeking directions for safe return of students stuck in Kota and other places in accordance with the government guidelines.
The High Court on the previous occasion by a letter addressed to the Chief Secretary sought its reply on the possibility of bringing back students studying outside the State within the constraints of the guidelines and directions issued by the Central and State Government.
While the State of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh sent buses to bring back students from Kota, similarly Jharkhand, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Odisha and Chhattisgarh have asked the Ministry of Home Affairs to deploy special trains and buses for the safe return of their migrants and students stuck in other states.
However, the Bihar Government led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has been consistent in its stand where the Chief Minister has said “getting students back during the lockdown is a violation of norms.”
-India Legal Bureau