March 05, 2026 : The Chhattisgarh High Court has taken suo motu cognisance of media reports alleging that students admitted under the Right to Education (RTE) Act were forced to carry out construction and painting work at a school in Surajpur district.
A division bench of Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice Ravindra Kumar Agrawal on Monday directed the state school education secretary to file a personal affidavit in the matter by March 11.
The bench referred to a report published in Media. According to the report, the principal of Mukhya Mantri DAV Public School in Tilsiva allegedly compelled students admitted under the RTE quota to perform physical labour, including carrying cement and sand and painting classrooms.
The report further stated that the principal allegedly threatened students with expulsion if they refused to carry out the work. When parents raised objections, the principal reportedly dismissed their concerns, saying that since the students received free bags, books and uniforms under the RTE scheme, their parents had no reason to complain.
Although related public interest litigation and other petitions in the matter are scheduled for hearing on March 11, the court decided to take up the issue immediately considering the seriousness of the allegations.
Appearing for the state government, Advocate General Shashank Thakur informed the court that a three-member committee has been formed to investigate the incident and verify the facts.
The court has now directed the school education secretary to submit a personal affidavit before the next hearing on March 11.
