The High Court of Karnataka on Thursday directed the State government to publish on the website the penal provisions against private schools for violation of laws related to school fees, failure to protect children, etc laid down in the Karnataka Education Act, 1983.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Ashok S. Kinagi issued the direction while disposing of a PIL petition related to failure of private schools in adhering to norms laid down by law. Earlier, the government submitted that the Karnataka Education Act was amended in 2017 introducing penal action against private schools for violation of certain provisions of the Act. The penal action includes imprisonment for minimum six months with a fine up to ₹1 lakh for failure to ensure safety of students, including from sexual offences; penalty up to ₹10 lakh for violating fee norms, etc.
Following this submission, the Bench directed that the details of penal provisions be provided on the website: schooleducation.kar.nic.in within six weeks so that the private school managements and public are aware of the existence of penal provisions.
