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Supreme Court seeks Centre, Punjab govt response on plea over failure to implement 25% RTE quota in schools
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Supreme Court of India. File | Subramanium The Supreme Court on Monday (June 15, 2026) sought responses from the Centre and the Punjab government on a plea alleging failure to implement the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 (2009 Act) in Punjab, particularly the mandate under Section 12(1)(c) requiring private unaided schools to reserve 25% of entry-level seats for children from weaker sections and disadvantaged groups. Mohana asked the petitioner, who runs an NGO and appeared at the court in person, whether he had conducted any survey to substantiate the allegations.“Have you been able to identify some schools which are not implementing the Act?” the Bench asked.K.S. Raju, the petitioner, submitted that the law remained unimplemented in Punjab for the past 15 years. He further contended that the State’s inaction was in clear breach of the Supreme Court’s 2012 judgment in ‘Society for Unaided Private Schools of Rajasthan v. Union of India’, which upheld the constitutional validity of the 2009 Act.“A minimum of 50,000 students have to be admitted [under the RTE Act]. As per government statistics, nearly two lakh students are admitted every year at the entry level... This is a continuing grievance being agitated,” he said.However, the Bench referred to an affidavit previously filed by the State government, which stated that over 476 students belonging to economically weaker sections had been admitted to private schools. The Chief Justice accordingly asked Mr. Raju to conduct a survey in at least one district to ascertain the number of private schools and how many of them had not complied with the provisions of the Act.“...Conduct at least a one-district survey. Do it for some comparatively backward area. Find out how many private schools there are and how many have refused to implement the Act,” the Bench said.When Mr. Raju submitted that he had filed an RTI application on the issue last year, the Bench remarked that the limitation with RTI responses was that authorities would answer only in accordance with the nature of the questions posed to them.Accordingly, the Bench issued notice on the plea but asked the petitioner to undertake the survey in the meantime and place additional material before the court.The petition seeks directions to the Centre to put in place a transparent mechanism for monitoring compliance with the Section 12 mandate in Punjab, including publicly accessible dashboards to track implementation.Section 12(1)(c) requires private unaided schools to reserve at least 25% of entry-level seats for children belonging to weaker sections and disadvantaged groups and to provide them free and compulsory elementary education until its completion.The plea also seeks directions for putting in place an implementation mechanism in Punjab to give effect to the provision. It calls for the publication of available seats, a notified admission schedule, a reimbursement framework for schools, and action against institutions that fail to comply with the law. Published - June 15, 2026 08:25 pm IST
Home News India According to the Regional Meteorological Centre in Chennai, moderate rain accompanied by thunderstorm and lightning is likely to occur in northern districts of Chennai Updated - June 14, 2026 12:30 pm IST Scene during rain in Bengaluru on 13 June 2026. | Also read: Scattered rainfall likely in various districts of Tamil Nadu till MondayAccording to the Regional Meteorological Centre in Chennai, moderate rain accompanied by thunderstorm and lightning is likely to occur over Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Chennai, Tiruvannamalai, Perambalur, Ariyalur, Pudukkottai, Cuddalore, Villupuram and Kallakurichi districts and Puducherry.The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast partly cloudy skies with thunder and lightning in Delhi for Sunday (June 14, 2026), even though no significant weather warnings have been issued. As the system weakens and shifts further away, its impact on Delhi is expected to reduce from Sunday (June 14, 2026) onwards.Uttar Pradesh witnessed a change in weather conditions on Saturday (June 13, 2026), with several districts reporting rainfall, while Kanpur City recorded the highest precipitation in the state at 67.6 mm, according to the IMD.Follow for live updates:June 14, 2026 12:23 Tamil Nadu | Cyclonic system to bring rains to northern regionsAn upper air cyclonic circulation persisting over north coastal Tamil Nadu is expected to bring rains to 10 northern districts of the State today.According to the Regional Meteorological Centre in Chennai, moderate rain accompanied by thunderstorm and lightning is likely to occur over Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Chennai, Tiruvannamalai, Perambalur, Ariyalur, Pudukkottai, Cuddalore, Villupuram and Kallakurichi districts and Puducherry.Meanwhile, heavy rain with gusty winds of speed reaching 40- 50 kmph is expected in Delta districts such as Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam and Mayiladuthurai and Karaikal area.- PTIJune 14, 2026 11:51 Opinion | Rain and shineRain and shineExperience the vibrant transition from summer's heat to monsoon's refreshing rain, celebrating nature's dramatic seasonal transformation.June 14, 2026 11:07 Analysis | Beyond high temperatures: understanding heat stress in Tamil Nadu Beyond high temperatures: understanding heat stress in Tamil NaduExplore Tamil Nadu's Heat Action Plan and the rising challenges of heat stress in a warming climate.June 14, 2026 10:47 Andhra Pradesh | Prakasam Barrage gates opened The Prakasam Barrage gates were opened for a short while to release around 2,000-3,000 cusecs downstream of the Krishna river on today. This is the first instance of water being released downstream after the Southwest Monsoon arrived in the State on June 6, 2026.In a media release from the Executive Engineer and River Conservator of the Krishna Central Division, it was stated that the inflows have increased from local catchment area due to recent rain, and therefore, four gates have been opened between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. to release the surplus discharge.- The Hindu BureauClick here to read the complete story...June 14, 2026 10:00 Uttar Pradesh | Several districts report rainfall; Kanpur City records highest precipitationUttar Pradesh witnessed a change in weather conditions on Saturday, with several districts reporting rainfall, while Kanpur City recorded the highest precipitation in the state at 67.6 mm, according to the India Meteorological Department.In eastern Uttar Pradesh, Ankinghat in Kanpur City received 67.6 mm of rainfall, followed by Bhatpurwaghat in Sitapur with 44.8 mm. Kanpur IAF and Kanpur Observatory recorded 42 mm and 38.4 mm rainfall, respectively.Other places with major rainfall included 36.1 mm at Farrukhabad’s Kaimganj, Fatehgarh CWC 31.6 mm, Sitapur’s Neemsar 29 mm and Kannauj’s Tirwa 17 mm.Lucknow a
The Cell Broadcast system ensures swift dissemination of disaster warnings | An order issued by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Friday (June 12, 2026) stated that, due to certain issues flagged by the competent authorities, the Cell Broadcast Service is being kept on hold until further instructions.The Centre launched the mobile-based disaster communication system, developed by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Ministry of Communications, in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), in May to ensure the timely dissemination of critical information to citizens. In Kerala, the system has become operational on June 6, issuing location-based alerts in Malayalam directly to mobile phones. | The system enables competent authorities to send alerts simultaneously to all mobile devices within a defined geographic area, ensuring near real-time delivery.In Kerala, the system became operational on June 6, issuing location-based alerts directly to mobile phones, unlike standard text messages (SMS). The system works through the phone’s hardware and is enabled by default on all new phones in the country.It was recently used on red-alert days and during periods when orange alerts were issued for two consecutive days. Any alert issued by central agencies that qualifies for priority dissemination will be sent through this system by the authorities. Published - June 13, 2026 11:21 am IST
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