After perusing the state reply Friday, the bench said it reflected that the counselling process had not been done yet. “It is not reflected, it is not being done,” said Justice Oka.
The Supreme Court Friday pulled up the Uttar Pradesh government over alleged delay in providing counselling to the children involved in the 2023 Muzaffarnagar student slapping incident.
A bench of Justice A S Oka and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan asked UP Additional Advocate General Garima Prashad why was there a delay in carrying out the counselling as recommended by Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) despite its earlier directions.
The August 2023 incident involved a schoolteacher allegedly asking students in her class to slap a fellow Muslim student for not completing his homework. She was later booked for the alleged act. The court had appointed TISS to provide counselling to the children involved and also to extend assistance of expert child counsellors. In December 2023, the SC asked the state government to inform how it proposed to implement the TISS recommendations.
After perusing the state reply Friday, the bench said it reflected that the counselling process had not been done yet. “It is not reflected, it is not being done,” said Justice Oka.
He said, “TISS suggests in what manner they will be counselled…They have given you name of institutions also whose assistance should be taken…nothing has been done.”
Prashad said though it may not reflect in the reply, the process has started. The court directed that its directions have to be implemented urgently in letter and spirit and sought a compliance report from the state.
The SC will hear the matter again on March 1.
