Pvt schools in Karnataka charged students excess of Rs 345 crore during Covid: CAG pulls up govt
Belagavi ( Karnataka), Dec 12: The Comptroller & Auditor General (CAG) in its report tabled in the Legislative Assembly on Thursday said that private schools in Karnataka charged students an excess fee of Rs 345.80 crore during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-21.
This violates court orders, it said, pulling up the government for lacking any fee regulation. In its report on the functioning of primary educational institutions, CAG said, the Department of School Education and Literacy does not have any method to monitor the quantum of fees collected by the private unaided institutions.
The absence of oversight has resulted in violations of fee regulations, it further said, and was also critical of the government for not bringing online schools under a regulatory framework, which according to it creates division and disparity.
The CAG in its another report on health said that Covid-19 drugs worth Rs 17.79 crore were not supplied to the government at the end of March 2022.
In all, the government had placed orders for drugs worth Rs 665 crore and there were delays ranging from one to 252 days in supplying drugs worth Rs 415 crore.
There was also a delay up to 217 days to supply equipment worth Rs 288 crore, it said, adding that audit wasn't given supply details for equipment worth Rs 405 crore.
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Delhi HC asks Jaideep Sengar to surrender in Unnao custodial death case
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi High Court on Friday asked Jaideep Sengar, brother of Unnao rape case convict Kuldeep Sengar, to surrender before jail authorities in connection with his conviction in the custodial death case of the survivor's father.
A bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Ravinder Dudeja was hearing a plea by the convict for further extension of interim bail upon suspension of the 10-year sentence.
It observed that the interim bail granted to Jaideep Sengar in July 2024 was last extended in April 2025 and since then, in spite of five dates, no order of any further extension or suspension of his sentence has been passed by the court.
As the senior counsel for Jaideep Sengar urged the bench to extend the period of his release on account of his health, the bench said, "You surrender and then we will see."
"Although there is no extension of interim suspension of sentence granted, we find he has still not surrendered. Before we proceed to consider his application for further extension of suspension of sentence, we require the appellant to first surrender," the bench ordered.
The senior counsel for Jaideep Sengar assured the court that he would surrender by Saturday.
The court listed the matter for hearing next week.
Jaideep Sengar, 50, sought the bail extension on the grounds that he is suffering from oral cancer.
The Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) counsel had earlier said it was not a fit case for extension of interim bail, and the prescription given by Jaideep Sengar in support of his plea was fabricated.
In his application, Jaideep Sengar said he was suffering from stage IV oral cancer, a life-threatening condition, and had developed clinical signs of recurrence.
The condition, the plea said, required continuous and specialised medical care.
The plea also informed that Jaideep Sengar has spent about four years in custody.
The high court had granted interim bail to Jaideep Sengar on July 3, 2024, for two months on medical grounds.
Kuldeep Sengar was convicted and sentenced to imprisonment for the remainder of his life on December 20, 2019, for raping the minor in 2017.
On March 13, 2020, Kuldeep Sengar, along with Jaideep Sengar, was sentenced to 10 years' rigorous imprisonment by the trial court, which also imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh, in the custodial death case of the rape survivor's father.
The survivor's father was arrested, allegedly at the behest of the accused, under the Arms Act and died in custody on April 9, 2018, owing to police brutality.
The trial court said no leniency could be shown for killing a family's sole breadwinner.
