Staff Reporter
Guwahati: The Gauhati High Court was informed by the Additional Advocate General of Assam that the Cabinet will shortly review the matter of the rights of students belonging to disadvantaged groups to secure admission not only in vernacular-medium schools but also in English-medium schools, as per the provisions of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, as well as the concept of neighbourhood schools.
D. Mazumdar, the Additional Advocate General, Assam, also submitted that until now, admission to the disadvantaged group of students was being facilitated only in Assamese or vernacular medium schools, which was pursuant to an earlier Cabinet decision.
The matter was placed before the bench of Chief Justice Ashutosh Kumar and Justice Arun Dev Choudhury during the hearing of a public interest litigation case (PIL/39/2026 with linked case PIL/30/2023) filed by the We For Guwahati Foundation and two other petitioners.
During the hearing, D. Mazumdar, the Additional Advocate General, Assam, submitted that until now admission to the disadvantaged group of students was being facilitated only in Assamese or vernacular medium schools, which was pursuant to a Cabinet decision. However, in light of the judicial pronouncement regarding the RTE Act and the concept of neighbourhood schools, the matter has been referred back to the Cabinet for reconsideration, aiming to allow students from disadvantaged groups to gain admission not only in vernacular medium schools but also in English medium schools.
He further submitted that he shall communicate to the Elementary Education department regarding a detailed SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) to be formulated in that regard, which will ensure compliance by the schools concerned for their registration on the online portal as well as inform or disclose the number of seats available for admission by publishing such information in newspapers having wide circulation. A help desk shall also be maintained in all such schools for providing necessary information, in case it is so demanded by the targeted groups.
Mazumdar further informed the bench that a review of the Cabinet decision on the matter is expected in a short while, which shall be communicated to the court by the next date on June 26, 2026.
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