New Delhi: Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Friday said the government will start five "Schools of Excellence" next year in order to provide better quality education.

"These schools will impart education in English language. The admission process for nursery to Class V and, Class IX and XI will be conducted under the neighbourhood criteria next year," Sisoida, who also holds the education portfolio, told the media.

He said the proposal to open these schools was approved in a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. 

The schools, to be initially opened in Rohini, Madanpur Khadar, Khichripur, Kalkalji and Dwarka, will start functioning from the coming session in April 2018.

"The vision of the government is to ensure at least one school of this format in each of the 29 zones of Delhi," said Sisodia.

He said the Education Department's proposal for setting up a "world-class" skill centre was also approved at the Cabinet meeting.

"The skill centre will be set up in Jonapur Village in South Delhi district at an estimated cost of around Rs 254 crore with an aim to provide skill development facilities at par with global standards," he said.

The centre will have the departments of Hospitality and Tourism, Retail Merchandising, IT and IT-enabled services, Accounts, Banking and Finance, Food Processing, Logistics, Electronics, Production and Manufacturing, Automobile, and Health and Wellness.

Each department is proposed to have 500 seats for the one-year duration courses. The courses will be added or replaced as per demand from time to time.

Currently, one such centre is functioning at ITI-Vivek Vihar with training courses available in sectors like Hospitality, Retail Services, Software Testing and Finance.

The Deputy Chief Minister also said that the government would start the Mission of Excellence in Sports scheme, under which, a sportsperson would be supported for his/her needs related to food and nutrition, sports equipment, sports kits, training and travel, boarding and lodging (within the country and abroad) and medical facilities. 

"The quantum of support will be demand-linked but will not exceed Rs 16 lakh per year," he added.

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New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court has asked the Bombay High Court and the Maharashtra government to evolve a mechanism to ensure that accused are produced before trial judges either physically or virtually on every date so that the trial is not prolonged.

The apex court, while dealing with an appeal challenging the Bombay High Court order denying bail to an accused, said a "sorry state of affairs" was being depicted as the trial proceedings in the case was being prolonged due to non-production of appellant before the trial judge either physically or virtually.

A bench of Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan was informed that this was not a solitary case but in many cases, such a difficulty arises.

"We, therefore, direct the registrar general of the high court of judicature at Bombay, secretary, Home, state of Maharashtra and secretary, Law and Justice, state of Maharashtra to sit together and evolve a mechanism to ensure that the accused are produced before the trial judge either physically or virtually on every date and the trial is not permitted to be prolonged on the ground of non-production of the accused persons," the bench said.

In its order passed on December 18, the apex court noted that material placed on record revealed that in the last six years, out of 102 dates, the accused was not produced before the court either physically or through virtual mode on most of the dates.

"We may say with anguish that this is a very sorry state of affairs. If an accused is

incarcerated for a period of approximately five years without even framing of charges, leave aside the right of speedy trial being affected, it would amount to imposing sentence without trial," the bench said.

It said such a prolonged delay was also not in the interest of the rights of the victim.

The bench said a copy of its order be forwarded to the registrar general of the high court and the secretaries of Home and Law and Justice of Maharashtra government forthwith for necessary action.

The bench delivered its verdict on the appeal challenging an order of the high court which had rejected the bail plea of the appellant in a case registered under the provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).

The apex court allowed the appeal and granted bail to the appellant on a bond of Rs 50,000 with one or more sureties in the like amount.

It directed that the appellant shall continue to appear before the special judge on every date regularly.