Marumalarchi Makkal Iyakkam president V. Eswaran has filed a contempt petition in the Madras High Court against the Tamil Nadu government for not commencing admissions under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act for the academic year 2025–26, despite a recent High Court order.
The High Court directed the State government on June 10 to reimburse private schools for RTE admissions and observed that non-receipt of funds from the Centre cannot be used as a reason to delay its statutory obligation. The court also asked the Union Ministry of Education to consider delinking the RTE component from issues related to the National Education Policy.
Following the ruling, School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi recently said the State would approach the Supreme Court by filing a Special Leave Petition (SLP) over the order. In response, Mr. Eswaran said he had filed a caveat petition in the Supreme Court to ensure the matter was not decided without hearing his side.
He said the continued delay in opening the RTE admission portal had prompted the contempt plea. “The State cannot keep six lakh underprivileged children waiting while it decides whether or not to follow a court order,” he said.
Published – June 29, 2025 09:45 pm IST