Kolkata, July 8: The Calcutta High Court has directed the West Bengal government to submit an affidavit regarding the status of a proposal to assign the responsibility of providing mid-day meals in government schools within the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) area to the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).
The bench, comprising Acting Chief Justice Tapobrata Chakraborty and Justice Partha Sarathi Chatterjee, heard the public interest litigation (PIL) on Wednesday. During the proceedings, the court inquired about the current status of the proposal. In response, the state’s Advocate General Surajit Nath Mitra informed the court that the matter is still at the proposal stage, and no formal notification has been issued so far.
Following this, the bench instructed the state government to file a detailed affidavit within the next four weeks. The court also directed the petitioner to submit a counter-affidavit within two weeks after the government’s affidavit is filed.
Additionally, the court remarked that the petition against the proposal seems premature, as the state government has yet to issue any official notification regarding the matter. The bench noted that if the government issues a formal notification in the future, the petitioner may approach the court again.
The PIL argues that if ISKCON is entrusted with the responsibility of preparing mid-day meals in Kolkata’s government schools, eggs will not be served, potentially depriving students of a protein-rich diet. The petition also states that many women currently employed in mid-day meal preparation may lose their jobs if this responsibility is handed over to ISKCON.
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