Supreme Court Declines Plea for Mandatory Biometric Attendance in Schools

NEW DELHI, Aug. 7: The Supreme Court on Friday declined to hear a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking directions to the Centre and state governments to introduce a compulsory biometric attendance system for school students as a measure to eliminate dummy educational institutions.

A Bench comprising Justices P. Narasimha and Alok Aradhe granted the petitioner, advocate N.K. Goswami, the liberty to approach the concerned High Court, observing that the matter was not fit for consideration under Article 32 of the Constitution.

While dismissing the plea, the Bench clarified that it was not inclined to entertain the petition directly before the Supreme Court and advised the petitioner to pursue the matter before the appropriate High Court.

In addition to seeking biometric attendance in schools, the petition urged the court to recommend a statutory limit on the number of hours students can spend in coaching classes. It also sought a mandatory code of conduct for coaching centres to prevent misleading promotional practices, including the use of topper photographs and exaggerated success claims in advertisements.

The plea argued that stronger regulatory measures were needed to improve transparency and accountability in the education sector while addressing concerns surrounding dummy schools and unregulated coaching institutions.

Article 32 of the Constitution empowers citizens to directly approach the Supreme Court for the enforcement of their fundamental rights. However, the Bench held that the petitioner should first seek relief before the High Court in the present matter.