Supreme Court Orders Survey on RTE Act Implementation in Punjab's Private Schools

On 15 June 2026 , a Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice V. Mohana asked the Centre and the Punjab government to respond to a petition alleging failure to implement the RTE Act in the state. The petitioner, NGO activist K.S. Raju , claimed that Punjab has not complied with Section 12(1)(c) for the past 15 years. The Court referred to a state affidavit stating that only 476 economically weaker‑section students had been admitted under the reservation. The bench directed the petitioner to conduct a ground‑level survey in at least one backward district to verify the number of private schools and their compliance. It highlighted the limitation of a prior RTI application, noting that answers depend on how questions are framed. The Court issued notice on the plea and asked the petitioner to submit additional material based on the survey. The petition estimates that a minimum of 50,000 students should be admitted each year under the reservation, while state data show that nearly 2 lakh students are admitted at the entry level across schools. The petitioner also invoked the 2012 Supreme Court judgment in Society for Unaided Private Schools of Rajasthan v. Union of India , arguing that Punjab’s inaction breaches that precedent. UPSC Relevance This case touches upon several GS topics: the constitutional mandate for free education (GS2: Polity), the role of the judiciary in enforcing social welfare laws (GS2), and the mechanisms of policy implementation and monitoring (GS3: Governance). Understanding the RTE Act’s reservation clause helps answer questions on education policy, social inclusion, and federal‑state coordination. Way Forward Centre and Punjab to devise a transparent monitoring system, possibly an online dashboard, to track compliance with Section 12(1)(c) . Publish real‑time data on available seats, admission schedules, and reimbursement to schools. Enforce penalties for schools that refuse to admit reserved students, ensuring the spirit of the RTE Act is upheld. Use the petitioner’s district‑level survey as a baseline for future audits.