The Supreme Court on Tuesday criticized the States of Telangana, Punjab, and the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir for failing to respond to a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking enforcement of the Right to Education (RTE) Act.

A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sanjay Karol, and Sandeep Mehta noted that the absence of responses from these states was causing delays in the case proceedings.

"Despite service of notice, no one has entered appearance on behalf of Telangana, Punjab, and Jammu & Kashmir. Neither responses nor counter affidavits have been filed, while other States have already submitted their replies. The delay is due to the non-filing of responses by these three States," the Court observed.

To ensure compliance, the Court warned that the Chief Secretaries of these states would have to appear in person at the next hearing if responses were not submitted before then.

"We direct the Chief Secretaries of the concerned States to remain present on the next date if no response is filed. If responses are submitted and the States are duly represented, their presence will not be required," the order stated.

The petition, filed by Md. Imran Ahmad through advocate Ayush Negi, seeks enforcement of Section 12(1)(c) of the RTE Act, which mandates that non-minority private unaided schools reserve at least 25% of entry-level seats for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The Court had issued notices to the Central government and all States in February 2023.