HC takes suo moto cognizance of HT report on school kids’ shoes in tatters

LUCKNOW: The Lucknow bench of Allahabad high court has taken suo moto cognizance of a Hindustan Times report — With shoes worth Rs 266 cr in tatters, UP kids walk ‘barefoot’ to schools — carried on the front page on March 28.

The court took the issue as a PIL, suo moto.

The high court, on March 28, directed the state government to place before it “the complete record pertaining to the tender process, if any, and the process adopted for purchase of shoes, including the quality of the shoes specified in the said tender/purchase order that was followed by the government for purchase of the said shoes.”

The court said it was “shocked” and “astonished” upon reading the said news item. It further said Hindustan Times newspaper shall form part of the record and that Siddharth Dhaon, additional chief standing counsel, should be present in court on the next date.

“Let complete records be produced before this court on the next date fixed. Put up this matter on April 11, 2018 as the first case in the additional cause list along with complete records pertaining to the process followed in purchase of shoes for distribution to 1.54 crore students in the primary and upper primary schools across the state,” reads the order passed by the bench, comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Abdul Moin. The court ordered a responsible officer of the government of the rank of secretary to be present on the said date to explain the process that had been followed for the purchases of shoes that were distributed.