The Supreme Court on Friday, while hearing the Muzaffarnagar child slapping case, directed the State of Uttar Pradesh to find a benefactor, who could sponsor the education of the victim.
The Bench of Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Augustine George Masih passed the direction after Senior Advocate Garima Prasad, appearing for the State of Uttar Pradesh, submitted that an NGO has come forward to handle the expenditures of the child.
The Bench observed that this was not the correct way. Somebody must come forward to take care of the entire educational expenditure of the child till his school education is over.
The Apex Court directed the State to make more efforts in getting a sponsor and posted the matter for further hearing on September 2.
In August last year, a school teacher in Muzaffarnagar allegedly asked her students to slap a Muslim student and uttered communal slurs against him.
Following the incident, a public interest litigation (PIL) was filed by activist Tushar Gandhi, seeking a proper and time-bound investigation into the incident. The victim child was later shifted to a private school.
The Apex Court had earlier directed the State of Uttar Pradesh to nominate an appropriate senior IPS officer to conduct the prosecution properly.
The direction was passed after Additional Solicitor General N. Venkataraman informed that the charge sheet in this case had been filed.
The Apex Court had earlier also heard an application filed by the father of the victim, seeking reimbursement of the child’s tuition and transport fees, stationery, school uniform, and similar things.
The top court of the country ordered the State to file an affidavit regarding these prayers.
The Bench recorded the State’s submission that it was in the process of finding an appropriate NGO to help the child.
Prasad apprised the Court that it has requested the Sharden Public School to adopt the child.
The Bench then observed that if a request was made by the State to the Sharden public school to adopt the child, the school authority should consider sympathetically, considering the facts of the case and the larger issue raised in the September 2023 order.
The Apex Court is also slated to hear the issue concerning compliance with the Right to Education Act (RTE), which prohibits physical and mental harassment of students and discrimination on the basis of religion and caste.
The Court had observed in its September 2023 order that there was prima facie ‘failure’ on the part of the State to comply with the mandate of this Act.