Ranjit Mahanti
THE Maharashtra government on Tuesday ensured-over load shedding-to Bombay High Court for uninterrupted power supply to all exam centres during HSC and SSC examinations in October 2014. A bench of Justice Abhay Oka also asked the government to come out with an action plan within a fortnight about how it during the March-April examinations in 2015.
An RTI activist Vishnu Gawali, in 2008, had written a letter to the Bombay High Court, which was converted into a suo moto public interest litigation (PIL) that students were forced to write their examinations in the dark due to load shedding.
On February 27, 2009, the court had directed the state government to ensure supply of 40,000 generators to schools conducting examinations. The court had also asked the Maharashtra State Electricity Board (MSEB) to ensure that there is no load shedding during examinations.
However, the petitioner alleged that the state of Maharashtra had not implemented the court previous orders in 2008 to provide uninterrupted power supply to schools which conduct HSC and SSC examinations. Gawli told the judges that till date the Maharashtra government has not taken any steps.