Will endeavour to enact the law regulating private tuition classes at the earliest: State to HC
The division bench of chief justice Alok Aradhe and justice Sandeep Marne was hearing a petition filed by Bhagwanji Raiyani for the implementation of the court's orders in 2008 and 2018 that directed the state government to regulate the functioning of the coaching classes in the state. Bhagwanji Raiyani, associated with the Forum for Fairness in Education, has been petitioning the high court since 1990, seeking a legal framework for the functioning of coaching classes and the 2008 and 2018 orders were issued in response to his petitions.
Raiyani, in his current petition, said that though the state government had told the court that a bill for regulating private coaching classes would be tabled in the monsoon session of the state assembly, no such bill was tabled.
Government pleader Purnima Kantharia told the court, 'The draft bill has already been prepared but could not be passed in the monsoon session of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.' The bill would be passed as soon as possible, she added.
A committee was appointed via a government resolution dated January 4, 2017, to prepare a law to regulate coaching classes in the state, she said.
In January 2024, the central government too had directed all states to come up with a legal framework for private coaching classes. Following this, the state education department had studied similar bills enacted by states like Karnataka, Goa, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, and prepared the draft, Kantharia said.
The bill drafted by the state defines the term 'coaching classes' and covers regulation of fees, availability of infrastructure and facilities for students and advertising malpractices, she said
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
42 minutes ago
- Time of India
Now, pay more for affidavits; stamp duty rates revised
Bhopal: Agreements for leasing out property or affidavits from the notary for renewing firearms licence and other services is going to cost more. The Madhya Pradesh Assembly on Wednesday passed the Indian Stamp (Madhya Pradesh Amendment) Bill, 2025 that proposes a steep hike in stamp duty for all judicial and non-judicial purposes. The passage of the bill is likely to help the state in mopping up an additional Rs 212 crore annually from the people. Opposition Congress MLAs strongly criticised the bill stating it would burden the common man. With the new Bill rates of affidavit, immovable property agreement, development, construction or bond agreements, consent deed, corrections in already registered documents, renewal of revolver and pistol licenses, partnership deed, power of attorney and for property of trusts the increase has been made from 100% to 400%. Allegations and counter allegations were witnessed between the govt and opposition during the debate on the bill with the opposition strongly demanding its withdrawal stating it will hit the ordinary man. The opposition alleged that the govt is taking frequent loans citing need for state's development, while on the other hand it is putting additional financial burden on the common man. Deputy chief minister Jagdish Devda who is also the finance minister stated these amendments are being proposed after approximately 11 years to rationalize the stamp duties. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Why Your Current Make-Up Routine Might Be Aging You Learn More Undo He also maintained that the amendment would affect prices of only about 10% of documents. Stamp duties for the rest remain unchanged, the fiancé minister stated. The govt cleared eight bills by the end of the day. The assembly was adjourned sine die on Wednesday evening, two days earlier from the schedule of the monsoon session that was till August 8. In his closing remark the leader of opposition, Umang Singhar urged the govt to increase the MLA constituency development fund to Rs 5 crore so that MLAs can carry out development works in their constituencies. Currently, the MLA fund in MP is Rs 2.5 cr. The CM assured the LoP that the govt would seriously consider the proposal.
Hindustan Times
43 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
New clause could leave BCCI out of RTI ambit
New Delhi: A proposed amendment to the newly-introduced National Sports Governance Bill 2025 being circulated among Members of Parliament could put the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) outside the purview of the Right to Information Act since it doesn't receive grants or financial assistance from the central or state governments. BCCI will have to be registered as a National Sports Federation and follow the provisions of the Bill. (Hindustan Times via Getty Images) The bill, which seeks to bring in reforms in governance of Indian sports bodies, was introduced in Lok Sabha on July 23 by Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and is yet to be taken up for discussion in the House, amid a continuing stand-off over the Opposition's demand over a discussion on the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar. The clause 15 (2) of the bill states, 'A recognised sports organisation shall be considered as a public authority under the Right to Information Act, 2005 with respect to the exercise of its functions, duties and powers under this Act.' A new clause that is being inserted into the bill clarifies what constitutes a public authority. 'A recognised sports organisation, receiving grants or any other financial assistance from the Central Government under sub-section (1) or from a State Government, shall be considered as a public authority under the Right to Information Act, 2005, with respect to utilisation of such grants or any other financial assistance.' HT has seen a copy of the bill. Under the RTI Act, a public authority is a body 'established, constituted, owned, controlled or substantially financed by funds provided directly or indirectly by the Central Government or the Union Territory administration, the Central Government; or by the State Government.' According to people aware of the development, 'The amendment was done just to bring the bill in line with the RTI Act, 2005. BCCI might not take financial grants from the government but they do take government assistance such as infrastructure, subsidised land, state facilities, etc.' The cash rich BCCI has long resisted being brought under the RTI Act. The powerful sports body never required government recognition as a National Sports Federation as BCCI manages its own finances. However, with cricket is now an Olympic sport as part of the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Games and the Bill is seen as part of preparatyions for making a bid to host the 2036 Games. In 2018, Chief Information Commission (CIC) held the BCCI as the public authority under RTI Act, and put in place a system of online and offline mechanisms to receive applications for information under RTI Act. The Ministry of Youth And Sports Affairs was directed to take necessary steps to ensure implementation of this order. However, BCCI filed a writ petition in the Madras high court which granted a stay order. BCCI will still have to be registered as a National Sports Federation and follow the provisions of the Bill. If the Bill becomes law, it will be the first time that BCCI will become a designated 'NSF.' BCCI will have to seek recognition from the National Sports Board (NSB) and refer its legal cases to the National Sports Tribunal, both proposed in the sports Bill. According to the Bill, the National Sports Board shall have the power to grant recognition to any sports organisation as 'National Sports Body.' The NSB can suspend or cancel recognition of the sports body or its affiliate units if the provisions of the act are violated or in case it 'failed to hold elections for its Executive Committee or has committed' or there were 'gross irregularities in the election procedures.' It can also act if the federation 'failed to publish annual audited accounts or misused, misapplied or misappropriated public funds.' The NSB shall consult the respective global governing body before taking any such decision, stated the Bill. There is another proposed amendment that states a person shall not be qualified to contest for election in a federation or seek nomination to the posts of the president, secretary general or treasurer unless previously served as a member for 'at least one full term in the executive committee of the national sports body or as the president, or the secretary general or the treasurer in its affiliate unit.' In the original Bill, the duration a person needed to serve for the top three posts was two full terms as member of the executive committee. This restrictive clause, however, doesn't apply for the Sportsperson of Outstanding Merit (SOM), according to the proposed amendment.
The Hindu
43 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Mumbai train blasts, an exoneration, the questions
The Bombay High Court's exoneration of all those convicted in the Mumbai train blast case of July 2006, has come as a rude shock for the families of the 189 people killed and around 800 people who were injured. The High Court has ripped apart the investigation, calling witnesses untrustworthy, deeming confessions gained as under duress, terming identification parades faulty and citing forensic evidence custody as not foolproof. It is a shocker because it was based on the same evidence that the trial court, in 2015, sentenced five of the accused to death and seven to life imprisonment. A long wait, lapses Who will answer for the inordinately long incarceration of the accused since 2006? The police, the prosecution, lawyers or the courts? Or all of them, that is the criminal justice system? It takes years for trials in courts. One of the defence lawyers said that the charge sheet filed by the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) had 20,000 pages, while much lesser numbers would suffice. It is like schoolchildren taking their examinations and filling pages with answers, hoping to impress the teacher with volume rather than quality. But the nine years taken by the Special Court and 10 years by the High Court for their decisions make the waiting period so agonising to the point of being meaningless for the accused. Nineteen years is a lifetime and almost like a sentence itself. Admitted there is tremendous pressure on investigating teams and the police chief in a terrorist or any high-profile case. The government gets unsettled with the Opposition's relentless attacks and demand to arrest the accused within minutes. It impacts investigation severely, pushing investigating officers into a corner, taking hasty decisions and bypassing protocol and procedures. But some of the issues referred to by the High Court raise concerns. Despite two confessions taken by two different deputy commissioners of police, they appear to be not similar but actually the same, with even the ellipsis matching. The witnesses became untrustworthy because, on cross-examination, they did not remain true to their original statements. Guess no one can after a lapse of so many years. It was surprising that the drawer of the sketches of the accused was not called as a witness. The test identification parade became suspect because the special executive officer who conducted it was not authorised to do so. Strange, because the magistrate who conducted it should have known whether he was the right person to undertake the TIP. The investigation, however, is truly flawed if the forensic evidence purity and chain of custody cannot be vouched for faithfully. It is troubling to hear that even in such critical cases there could be lapses on this count. The use of RTI filings Perhaps the biggest message from this trial is how the Right to Information (RTI) Act, known as the sunshine legislation, enacted 20 years ago, has stood the test of time, bringing transparency and accountability in government functioning. Hundreds of RTIs were filed by the accused and the defence lawyers to elicit information from the police, hospitals, and the Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited to build up their case and cross-examine the prosecution witnesses and prove them wrong on various counts. In one instance, it was the name of a non-existent person in a hospital, named by the prosecution witness or the shift in which one person was working was proven wrong. It is the noblest use of RTI, perhaps, if it is used to defend oneself. This is a fundamental aspect of free trial and constitution under Article 20(3). Perhaps most embarrassing for the Mumbai police would have been the discovery of an Indian Mujahideen (IM) module, busted by the crime branch Mumbai in 2008, which accepted its role in the series of blasts in Ahmedabad, Delhi and Jaipur between 2005 to 2008. The gang led by Sadiq Israr Sheikh also claimed responsibility for the series of blasts in suburban trains on that day in Mumbai at around 6.30 p.m. The charge sheet in the July 11, 2006 Mumbai train blast case had already been filed by then, and the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) had announced it as the handiwork of the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). In fact, in 2008, the top man of SIMI, Safdar Nagori, general secretary, was arrested along with his associates in March 2008 in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, and was awarded life term in 2017. But how does this make any sense to the families of the victims of 7/11 or to a common man? How does it matter whether the police, the prosecution or the criminal justice system failed him? What matters is that 19 years later, he has no closure. For the accused who were incarcerated for 19 years, it is already a sentence served without proven guilty. They seek justice too. Reform must begin There are too many questions unanswered. The only way to answer them is to put the criminal justice system on track on a war footing. Formatting a new criminal law by changing a few old laws here and there is not enough. Every element of the criminal justice system should be reformed. Nineteen years for a decision is meaningless because the punishment has already been given. A prosecution overlooking basic issues is meaningless and an investigation overlooking the simplest of things is not worth it. Reform of the police, the judiciary, the prosecution and prisons cannot wait — we are sitting on a time bomb of people's expectations and frustrations, which may explode anytime. Yashovardhan Azad is a former IPS officer who has served as Central Information Commissioner, Secretary, Security, Government of India and Special Director, Intelligence Bureau
