New Delhi: The Supreme Court on July 30 declared that all Indians have a fundamental right to education “at all levels”. This new fundamental right has been held to be part of the fundamental right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution.
Justice Kuldip Singh and R.M. Sahai have given this new gift to citizens in Ms Mohini Jain vs State of Karnataka by stating that the right to life and the dignity of an individual “cannot be assured unless it is accompanied by the right to education”.
With a single judgment, the judges have converted the non-enforceable right to education in the directive principles of the Constitution into an enforceable fundamental right. Millions of Indians kept illiterate by poverty can now demand education from their respective State governments, municipal corporations, panchayats and Jilla Parishads and can seek legal recourse from those managing State and local governments if they are denied this right. (Indian Express Aug.1)
