Recently, the Bombay High Court expressed deep concern over the unnatural deaths of children in Ashram Shalas across Maharashtra during a hearing.

The bench, comprising Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Amit Borkar, highlighted that there had been 80 unnatural deaths in the past year and inquired about accountability for these tragic incidents.

The Ashram Shalas are state-run educational institutions located in remote areas, aimed at serving children from tribal families. Currently, Maharashtra has 497 government ashram schools and 544 aided ashram schools operated by private institutions under the Tribal Development Department.

A chart presented to the court revealed alarming statistics: between 2023 and 2024, 78 children died in government-run schools, while 60 died in aided schools. From 2019 to 2024, the death toll included 493 children in government schools and 318 in aided institutions.

In response to these findings, the court directed Additional Public Prosecutor Prajakta Shinde to visit the ashram schools and evaluate their conditions.

The Court Observed "Have you ever visited such institutions? Please go to one such institution and see the plight of inmates. You have given them the name of an ashram school and see their plight. This is all just paperwork; the schemes never reached the children. There is a problem of their assimilation into society, there is a problem with their education and clothing. Go to any one of these schools, and then you will be in a better position to impress upon the secretary of the department,".

The bench was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed in 2013 by Ravindra Talpe, which alleges that the inadequate public utilities in these schools have resulted in numerous fatalities. The PIL specifically pointed out the lack of proper toilet facilities, which has led to incidents where children have suffered snake bites while going outside.

Advocate Uday Warunjikar, representing the petitioner, noted that the death toll has remained around 80 for several years. He remarked, "It is virtually the same. Previously, they mentioned that 80 children died due to snake bites, inadequate medical arrangements, and drowning, but now they simply report that 80 children died."

Warunjikar also emphasized that the government has failed to implement recommendations made by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) aimed at improving safety in these schools.

In response, the bench directed both the state and the petitioner to file affidavits within two weeks, detailing the discrepancies between TISS's recommendations and the actions taken by the state. The bench is scheduled to hear the petition again on November 14.