Madras HC declines to stay online classes

Observing that continuation of online education without sufficient guidelines is a matter of larger public importance, the court issued notice to the Centre and the state governmenet and posted the matter to June 25 for filing counters.

A division bench of Justices Vineet Kothari and R Suresh Kumar issued the notice while hearing a petition seeking to restrain educational institutions from conducting online classes without framing proper schemes and guidelines. 

Government pleader V Jayaprakash Narayan submitted that the state has not yet permitted the conduct of online classes by schools and colleges.

The institutions were also restrained -- through a government order -- from demanding fee,he submitted. 

Senior counsel S Prabhakaran for the petitioner requested the court to pass an interim order restraining educational institutions from conducting such classes.

The court, however, directed the Centre and the state government to file a report on the availability of any guidelines governing such online classes and adjourned the hearing to June 25.