Calcutta HC seeks Bengal govt's affidavit on ISKCON midday meal proposal

Kolkata, July 8 (IANS) A division bench of the Calcutta High Court on Wednesday directed the West Bengal government to submit an affidavit on the status of its proposal to entrust the responsibility of providing midday meals in state-run schools within the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) area to the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).

A PIL filed in the matter came up for hearing before the division bench of the Calcutta High Court’s Acting Chief Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty and Justice Partha Sarathi Chatterjee on Wednesday.

During the hearing, the division bench enquired about the present status of the proposal. In reply, the state’s Advocate General, Surajit Nath Mitra, informed the court that it was still at the proposal stage and that no formal notification in the matter had been issued as of date.

Thereafter, the division bench directed the state government to file a detailed affidavit in the matter within the next four weeks.

The division bench also directed the petitioner to file a counter affidavit within two weeks after the state government files its affidavit in the matter.

At the same time, the division bench observed that the petition against the proposal appeared to be premature since the state government had not issued a formal notification in the matter till date. The bench also observed that the petitioner could move the court again after the state government issued a formal notification in the matter.

In the public interest litigation, it was argued that if ISKCON was entrusted with the responsibility of preparing midday meals in state-run schools in Kolkata, eggs would not be served and students would consequently be deprived of a protein-rich diet.

It was also argued in the petition that many women currently employed to cook midday meals would lose their jobs if ISKCON was entrusted with the responsibility of providing midday meals in state-run schools in West Bengal.

The announcement on entrusting ISKCON with the responsibility of providing midday meals was made by West Bengal Finance Minister Swapan Dagupta while presenting the Budget for the financial year 2025-26 on the floor of the West Bengal Assembly last month.

–IANS

src/pgh