MP High Court Steps In As Elite Govt School Fights Playground Encroachment
The petition alleged that a cricket stadium was established in the school playground without taking permission: Reports
BHOPAL: The intervention by the Madhya Pradesh high court in the matter relating to the encroachment of the playground of an elite government higher secondary school in Vidisha in the state has provided a ray of hope for the students to retain their right to use the facility.
The encouraging development comes amid seven complaints lodged with the local administration by the authorities of the Government Excellence Higher Secondary School, Vidisha, against encroachers of the school playground over a decade, yielding no result.
In response to a petition filed by the local advocate Pawan Singh Raghuvansi, a division bench of Gwalior bench of Madhya Pradesh high court comprising Acting Chief Justice Vivek Ruisia and Justice Pawan Kumar Dwivedy on Thursday directed the state government to submit a report on the compliance of the complaints filed by the principal of the school to the local administration to free the school playground of encroachment.
The petition highlighted how the students of the elite government school have been debarred from their playing activities on the school’s playground on account of encroachment for ‘commercial use by the musclemen’ flaunting their political influence.
The petition alleged that a cricket stadium was established in the school playground without taking permission of either the school authorities or the local administration by the Canara Cricket Club to conduct cricket matches, unrelated to the school or the students of the school.
The club ‘encroached’ the entire playground for its commercial usage without having any valid permission from the school department or the school authority, the petition alleged.
After the construction of the cricket stadium in the playground, the students of the school are never permitted to play on the playground and if someone dares, they are threatened of dire consequences, the petition alleged.
Big iron gates have been erected by the club to restrict free access of the students to the playground, the petition alleged.
State ministers are sometimes invited to functions of the club by the office bearers, sources said.
Incidentally, the principal of the school had lodged seven complaints between 2016 to 2026 with the local administration pleading to free the school playground of encroachment but his pleadings fell in deaf ears so far.
