Breaking: Supreme Court issues notice to Centre, Punjab over EWS admission under RTE Act
BabushahI Bureau
New Delhi, June 15, 2026: The Supreme Court of India has issued notices to the Centre and the Punjab Government on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) alleging failure to implement provisions of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act in private schools across the state.
The petition claims that several recognised private schools in Punjab have either failed or refused to admit children belonging to the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) despite the statutory requirement under the RTE Act. The petitioner argued that the alleged non-compliance has deprived many underprivileged children of their fundamental right to education.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice V. Mohana took note of the matter and sought responses from both the Central and State governments.
During the hearing, the bench advised the petitioner to undertake a comprehensive study to determine how many recognised private schools in Punjab have complied with the EWS admission mandate and how many have allegedly denied admission to eligible students.