Schools cleared of paramilitary forces, SC told

Updated on: Monday, August 22, 2011

The Centre told the Supreme Court all the schools and hostels of educational institutions in north-eastern states occupied by the Army and paramilitary forces have been vacated and handed back to the respective administration.

An undertaking to this effect was given by Additional Solicitor General Haren Rawal to a three-judge bench of justices Altamas Kabir, Cyriac Joseph and S S Nijaar.

Similarly, the Centre said 76 children from north eastern states, who had been smuggled to Tamil Nadu for human trafficking, have been recovered and restored to their parents. Steps are being taken for their rehabilitation, the government said.

The apex court, while taking on record the government's submission, asked the Centre and the north-eastern states to provide details to the National Commission for Protection of Child Right (NCPCR) on the required infrastructural facilities in schools and other educational institutions in the states for appropriate measures.

On September 1, 2010, the apex court had asked the Centre to ensure that the Army and Para Military forces vacate schools/hostels as they were being used by them virtually as barracks while fighting militancy in the northeastern states.

The apex court had passed the order while dealing with the issue relating to trafficking of 76 children from Manipur and Assam to Tamil Nadu.

While there was a specific direction to the Home Ministry to ensure that the schools and hostels be freed from the occupation of the Army and central paramilitary forces, the bench asked the HRD Ministry to find out the list of schools occupied by the forces in two states.

Further, the bench asked the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DONER) to hold meetings with seven North Eastern states on various aspects of development.

The directions were passed on the recommendations of NCPCR which was asked by the court to inquire into trafficking of children from Manipur and Assam to Tamil Nadu on the pretext of providing them better education.

The bench had also asked Manipur, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka to respond to the recommendation of NCPCR to shut down unregistered charitable houses running schools and hostels.

Tamil Nadu government had earlier stated that the probe by the Kanyakumari Superintendent of Police has established that the 76 children from Manipur and Assam were brought to Tamil Nadu by one Rev Paul from the north-eastern region on the promise of providing them better education.

Schools cleared of paramilitary forces, SC told

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