Jhalawar School Tragedy: HC Calls It Moral and Administrative Failure

Aug 1, 2025 - The Rajasthan High Court has termed the death of seven children in the Jhalawar school collapse as a moral, administrative and Constitutional failure. The Court remarked that this was not merely an accident - it has also shattered hope and trust. At first glance, negligence in inspection by the PWD laboratory and the use of substandard construction materials appear to be responsible.

The Court has issued notices to the Central Government, Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary of Education, Director of Primary Education and the Principal Secretary of the Panchayati Raj Department, seeking their responses.

Justice Sameer Jain took suo motu cognizance of the incident based on reports published in a local newspaper. Advocate Mahendra Shandilya has been appointed as amicus curiae in the case.

The Court observed that under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, junior engineers or senior officials from the PWD are required to inspect school buildings. Moreover, cess is collected for higher education, school education and health. The government spends 6% of the annual budget on education. Prior to the accident, students had even reported the poor condition of the roof, but their concerns were ignored, leading to the tragedy.

Court Asked...

• Why should an order not be issued to provide structural details of school buildings?
• Why should independent building audits not be mandated?
• What action is being taken against those responsible?

Source: Media Reports