RTE applications: Probe sought in high rejection in Surat corporation limits

A reply filed in the Gujarat high court in connection with a petition before a division bench sought that an investigation be carried out in the unusually high rejection of RTE applications from Surat corporation.

The reply said that of the 3097 applications that were rejected for various reasons, 2497 rejected applications were from Surat Corporation. "There is something suspicious about such high rejection from one area and it needs to be the investigated," the reply said.

It also raised questions about the government's motive after the state in a reply said that the rest of 7871 students will be given admission in the second round. "It should be noted that 45,619 students are yet to get admission under RTE but the government is talking of giving admission to just 7871 students thus clearly trying to shrug off its responsibility,"the reply states.

It stated that the 7871 figure that the government was quoting were just those students who were allotted a seat but did not confirm their admission.

It also sought that the government consider many of the rejected applications as many of them were rejected on frivolous grounds including invalid birth certificate, address proof, mismatch in names etc.

Earlier, the Gujarat government in an affidavit before the high court stated that of the 3097 applications that were rejected under the Right to Education Act , a whopping 2208 applications were rejected because of fake income certificate.