Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Indore bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court has expressed serious concern over the condition of government/municipal schools in the state, directing the authorities to urgently address deficiencies found during recent inspections and to submit detailed financial disclosures related to education spending.
The directions were issued while hearing a writ petition filed by Gaurav Choubey against the Urban Administration and Development Department and other authorities. The petition, pending since 2020, had highlighted poor infrastructure and inadequate basic facilities in schools run by the government and Indore Municipal Corporation. The court observed that while both parties had placed records on condition of schools, the material on record only reflected the situation up to the academic year 2020–21, leaving the present status unverified.
To ascertain the ground reality, the High Court, in its earlier order dated August 7, 2025, constituted a three-member committee comprising advocates Lokesh Metha, Peyush Jain and Dixita Gupta. The committee was directed to undertake random inspections of at least 25 government schools and submit a detailed report supported by photographs and video recordings. Indore Municipal Corporation was also instructed to place on record details of the education cess collected over the past three years and the expenditure incurred on education.
The committee has since submitted its report after inspecting 10 schools. According to the court record, the panel identified several shortcomings in these institutions, particularly concerning the quality of construction and availability of basic facilities. Although the order does not enumerate the deficiencies in detail, the HC noted that the findings warranted immediate corrective action.
A division bench comprising Justice Vijay Kumar Shukla and Justice Alok Awasthi granted four weeks to the state government and the IMC to remove the shortcomings on a top-priority basis.
The court further directed the respondents to furnish complete details of education cess collected during the last three years, along with corresponding expenditure statements. The HC noted that accountability in both infrastructure development and financial utilisation was essential for ensuring quality education in government schools.
The court also ordered the committee to complete inspections of the remaining schools in accordance with the earlier directions and submit a comprehensive report before the next date of hearing. The matter has been listed for further consideration on February 11.
