Karnataka Public School in Mandya accused of charging fees despite free education policy: Report
Mandya: A government-run Karnataka Public School (KPS) in K.R. Pet, Mandya district, has come under scrutiny after accusations surfaced that it has been charging fees from students although the institution is supposed to impart education free of cost.
Parents of students attending the school have alleged that they were being charged between Rs 2,500 and Rs 5,000 per student for the academic year. According to a parent quoted by Deccan Herald on Thursday, when they questioned the school authorities, they were told that the fees were being levied because the institution was offering education in English medium.
The fee collection has sparked concern not only among the parents but also within the School Development Monitoring Committee (SDMC), which has complained to the Block Education Officer (BEO) about the alleged practice. However, despite the complaints, no action has reportedly been taken by the BEO so far.
Some students were reportedly issued receipts acknowledging the payment of fees. Interestingly, the receipts were issued under the name of a private coaching institute, DH added.
Additionally, some parents revealed that they were asked to deposit the fees into a joint bank account registered under the names of the SDMC chairman and the school principal.
Puligeraiah, the in-charge principal of the school, who took over duties only on July 1, claimed that he was unaware of the issue.
Meanwhile, the Department of School Education has sought a report from the Mandya Deputy Director of Public Instruction regarding the allegations.
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SC slams WhatsApp, Meta over privacy policy, says will pass interim order on Feb 9
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Tuesday came down heavily on Meta Platforms Inc and WhatsApp while hearing their appeals against a Competition Commission of India order imposing a penalty of Rs 213.14 crore over the privacy policy, saying tech giants cannot “play with the right to privacy of citizens in the name of data sharing”.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi said that it will pass an interim order on February 9. The top court ordered that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology be made a party to the petitions.
It was hearing appeals filed by Meta and WhatsApp against a National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) judgment that upheld the CCI’s findings of abuse of dominance, while granting limited relief on advertising-related data sharing.
"You can't play with the right of privacy of this country in the name of data sharing. We will not allow you to share a single word of the data, either you give an undertaking...you cannot violate the right of privacy of citizens,” the CJI said.
The bench said the right to privacy is zealously guarded in the country and noted that the privacy terms are “so cleverly crafted” that a common person cannot understand them.
“This is a decent way of committing theft of private information, we will not allow you to do that... You have to give an undertaking otherwise, we have to pass an order,” the CJI said.
