SAPANABEN KANAIYALAL PATEL Vs. STATE OF GUJARAT

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The petitioners, in all 25, have filed this petition under Article 226 of the Constitution of India praying for the direction to the respondents to provide for examination center at Vijapur for the students studying in the colleges at Vijapur, Dist. Mehsana for the PTC Examinations slated to commence from 26.04.2010. By virtue of an amendment granted on 19.02.2010, the petitioners have made one more prayer for quashing and setting aside the decision dated 20.11.2009 rendered by the State Examination Board.

(2.) Initially, this Court has issued notice on 08.02.2010. The petition was thereafter admitted on 19.02.2010. The Court has also granted draft amendment and the State Government was directed to file reply affidavit to the amended petition.

(3.) It is the case of the petitioners that the petitioners are studying in the Primary Teacher Course (PTC). The PTC is two years course which imparts training in the faculty of education and trains students to become teachers in Primary Schools. The emphasis of Government Policy has been to encourage students from villages to undertake the course so as to create a work force of teachers from rural areas to cater to the need of teachers in the rural areas. Vijapur is a Taluka in Mehsana district and has 12 PTC colleges. In all 1600 students are studying in the said colleges. The examinations for the PTC colleges are being scheduled as on 26.04.2010 till 06.05.2010 and the timings are 2.30 p.m. To 5.30 p.m. The distance between Vijapur to Mehsana is 50 Kms. Which takes about 90 minutes for the students to reach Mehsana by bus, and the bus timings are either prior to 9.30 a.m. or after 11.45 a.m., and the return journey is equally difficult because there are only three direct buses after 5.30 p.m. from Mehsana to Vijapur. It is also the case of the petitioners that for other examinations conducted by the State Government through different Boards like SSC, HSC Examinations, examination centers are provided in the area where the Schools are situated. It is, therefore, possible for the State Government to provide for examination center at Vijapur since there was no examination center at Vijapur. The petitioners who were studying in different Colleges at Vijapur have made representation to the respondents requesting that the center be made available at Vijapur to provide to them a proper opportunity of appearing in the examination. However, the said representation was not considered in its true perspective and hence, the petitioners are constrained to file the present petition before this Court.