18-07-2025
No students, no classes, but salaries paid: HC takes suo motu action
The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court has initiated a suo motu Public Interest Litigation (PIL) after a startling revelation in a recent newspaper report that 300 colleges in Maharashtra are receiving grants for staff salaries despite no student being enrolled.
This issue, highlighted in a newspaper under the caption 'No students in 300 Maha colleges, but staff pocket crores in salaries,' has prompted the court to intervene.
Justices Nitin W Sambre and Sachin S Deshmukh, presiding over the case, expressed grave concern over the situation. The court observed that this revelation not only signifies a significant wastage of public money but also points to severe mismanagement of the educational institutions.
The court noted that if institutions fail to attract sufficient students, existing statutes provide mechanisms to address such situations. Specifically, the staff of such institutions can be dealt with in accordance with the Maharashtra Employees of Private Schools (Conditions of Service) Regulation Act, 1981, the Secondary School Code, and the Right to Education Act, 2009.
To delve deeper into the matter and ensure accountability, the High Court has called for all the information regarding these colleges and the remedial measures taken by the state government.
The court has appointed Advocate Rahul Ghuge as amicus curiae to assist in the proceedings. Adv Ghuge has been requested to frame the appropriate petition within two weeks. The matter is scheduled for further consideration on August 4.
