Supreme Court dismisses plea against curbs on entry of journalists and activists in U.P., Rajasthan schools

The petition said the orders prevented documentation of classrooms, buildings, toilets, drinking-water facilities, electricity, mid-day meals and other infrastructure in these institutions. File

| Photo Credit: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap

The Supreme Court on Thursday (September 3, 2026) declined to intervene in a plea challenging restrictions put in place by the Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan governments on the entry of journalists, social media influencers and civil rights activists into government schools, along with curbs on photography, videography, interviews, audio recording and livestreaming.A Bench headed by Justice P.S. Narasimha said the court was not inclined to entertain the writ petition filed by Priya Mishra, represented by advocates Narendra Mishra and Aakanksha Dwivedi, under Article 32 of the Constitution against separate orders passed by the Rajasthan Director of Secondary Education on August 16 and the District Basic Education Officer, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, barring outsiders from entering or videographing school premises. Similar orders were issued in Azamgarh, Ballia, Basti, Balrampur, Shamli, and Agra districts of Uttar Pradesh.The restrictions warned that any unauthorised entry, presence, or attempts to photograph or videograph inside school premises would lead to police action. The petition said the orders explicitly cautioned that such persons would face proceedings under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012.“The petition highlights widespread public concern regarding the substandard conditions and functioning of government schools across the country. These concerns stem from reports and public allegations detailing inadequate infrastructure, dilapidated school buildings, severe shortages of teachers, lack of basic toilet and drinking-water facilities, deficiencies in mid-day meal schemes, and the absence of other essential educational infrastructure,” Mr. Mishra submitted.He referred to the ‘School Thik Karo’ campaign by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) to audit and improve the neglected infrastructure of government schools in rural India.In Rajasthan, CJP members were chased away by a mob at Rampura-Kanwarpura village in Jaipur when they tried to visit a dilapidated government primary school last month. On Wednesday, the authorities reportedly bulldozed the school as it was unsafe.“The public initiative designated as the ‘School Thik Karo’ campaign was launched with the primary objective of visiting, inspecting, and documenting the physical condition and administrative deficiencies of government schools. The record reflects that requests were received from several districts across Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and other States seeking independent inspections of schools suffering from inadequate infrastructure and poor upkeep,” the petition said.It argued that the restrictions on entry were a breach of freedom to disseminate information to the public about the safety and dignity of children studying in government schools.“The infrastructure, enrolment, attendance, mid-day meal/PM POSHAN facilities and other statutory educational facilities reflected in official records allegedly do not correspond with the actual conditions prevailing at the ground level. The restrictions, while purportedly justified in the name of protecting the privacy, safety and dignity of students, have the effect of restricting transparency, public accountability, freedom of expression, legitimate journalism and public-interest scrutiny of government schools,” the petition said. Published - September 03, 2026 12:16 pm IST