Education is the 1st step towards tackling social evils: 'Child shouldn't be deprived of edu due to family circumstances'

new delhi: Depriving a child of education due to family circumstances should not be allowed as an educated kid becomes an asset to the nation, the Delhi High Court has observed while holding that no minor should suffer on the education front due to parents being in jail.

The remarks were made by the high court which during the hearing of a bail plea took a suo motu cognisance to facilitate the admission of a minor girl to a school as her parents are in judicial custody for their alleged involvement in the murder of an old woman whose body parts were severed and disposed of

in a drain.

It directed the SHO concerned to get the child admitted to the school adjacent to the senior branch of the school in which her elder sibling is studying and asked the principal to extend full cooperation for the admission.

In my opinion, education is the first step towards tackling social evils, especially poverty, inequality, and discrimination. Every child, irrespective of caste, religion, sex, or economic background has been guaranteed the right to education. An educated individual can make informed decisions, first for themselves, and then be able to contribute constructively towards the progress of the nation and society at large, Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma said.

The high court, in its order, also observed that once it comes to the notice of the court that a child or an individual is deprived of a fundamental right, the courts have to ensure that the fundamental right is enforced and there is no impediment for any individual to enjoy the same.

Right to Education is a fundamental right guaranteed to every citizen under Article 21 A of the Constitution. A child must not suffer the consequences, on account of their parents having been in judicial custody for a crime which is yet to be adjudicated upon by the court. This court is duty bound to enforce fundamental rights of every citizen and in this case the right to education of the child, it said.

The child's mother sought interim bail as she needed to come out of jail to get her eight-year-old daughter admitted to a school here.

The woman, whose interim bail plea was earlier rejected by a trial court, informed the high court that her elder daughter was studying in a municipal school here and her younger daughter be also admitted there in nursery class.