Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Ominous Silence of Odisha Child Rights Commission exposed through RTI

Mega Expose through RTI about Ominous Silence of Odisha Child Rights Commission to pass any order to protect the right of a child studying in Takshila School (Bhubaneswar Model Public School)

Let me recall you  that a Child named Sri Srikant   Auropratik  Class-IX student of Bhubaneswar Model Public School, Plot No- N 5/A, 1697, IRC village, Bhubaneswar  was physically harassed  and mentally tortured  by the school authority   and ultimately driven out  from the school citing no justified reason.  The parents  in their pursuit to get justice  filed  complaint  in  Odisha  Child Rights Commission on 3.11.15. The Commission registered the case No. 810/15 on 4.11.15 and started enquiry into it  without giving any order to the School Authority to admit the school which is the primary responsibility of the Commission to ensure  and enforce it. It is needless to mention here that in another complaint case filed on same day, the Commission ordered to Sai International School to admit the child  who was driven out  autocratically and arbitrarily by the School Authority.

However,   the Commission conducted  orchestrated  hearing thrice  with ulterior motive  to protect the school authority at the cost of the interest of the child. At the primary stage, the Commission was found projecting herself as very serious  to protect the child. But later on the role of the Commission was  found dubious, when the Commission declined to pass any order and continued to postpone the hearing from  28th Dec. 2015. The Commission staged melodrama in the name of hearing to buy time  and dilute the case. 

In the meantime, RTI Application was submitted to the CPIO, Central Board of Secondary Education, New Delhi seeking information details of affiliation granted to Takshila School and period of affiliation. In response to RTI Application,  the CPIO on dated 9.2.16 provided the information that  only provisional affiliation  for Secondary School examination was granted from 1.4.2012 to 31.3.2015. No further affiliation has been granted  to the said school. As the School has lost the affiliation of CBSE, it can not legally conduct any examination for secondary Classes.  To avoid this legal complexity,  the authority  has ousted two children  from Class-IX and threatening others to leave the Class-IX. Similarly, the School has also not  applied for Certificate of Recognition   from Govt.   of Odisha since last three years. To obtain Certificate of Recognition  is mandatory  under section 18 of Right to Education Act. These facts were presented to the Child Rights Commission by the parents of Srikant Auropratik  during hearing of the case. But astonishingly, the two members of the Commission simply turned their blind eye to the  fact-sheet and  conspired  to discourage the parents fighting the case.  Though the parents pleaded several times  to engage their representative  to fight out the  case, the Commission expressed their anger  and remained adamant  not to allow  the representative even going against the spirit of judicial decorum of the country.   

Last but not least, I appeal  the Civil Society Groups to be very cautious  and careful  about  the functioning of Odisha  Child Rights Commission.

Pradip Pradhan
M-9937843482
Date- 23.2.16

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