CM promises law to check coaching classes

MUMBAI, JUNE 8: Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh today said the state Education Department has been ordered to prepare a draft of a law to...

MUMBAI, JUNE 8: Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh today said the state Education Department has been ordered to prepare a draft of a law to regulate private coaching classes in the state. “The government issues permission to open a school by considering several rules and regulations. Private coaching classes are not required to follow such rules,” Deshmukh pointed out, while addressing a press conference after the weekly Cabinet meeting. The issue of scrapping the merit list will also be discussed while formulating the new law, he said. The government has initiated an inquiry into the allegations levelled against Chate coaching classes, he added.

Deshmukh, however, dissociated himself from the allegations made by Minister of State for School Education Anil Deshmukh that former deputy chief minister Gopinath Munde was partner in Chate coaching classes. “He has levelled the allegations in his personal capacity and he is confident of proving them,” the chief minister said.

Asked about the attack on offices of the institute allegedly by Nationalist Congress Party activists, Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal said the government will not allow anybody to take law into their own hands. “The police have already arrested the attackers,” he pointed out.

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Meanwhile, PTI reports from Nagpur that Munde has expressed his readiness to face any probe about his alleged links with Chate, who is alleged to have claimed credit for state HSC and SSC toppers who were never enrolled with his institute.

“I am ready for an investigation by any agency, be it the state CID or the CBI by a sitting or retired high court judge,” Munde said on Wednesday. Categorically denying all the allegations levelled by Anil Deshmukh, he described them as “baseless” and threatened to sue Deshmukh.

He accused the minister of “shying away” from the CID probe into the Chate controversy “as the CID probe ordered by the government does not mention anything about his alleged links”.

A legal notice would be served on Deshmukh asking him to substantiate the allegations against him or he should apologised publicly, Munde added. Defending his visit to the Cuffe Parade police station to bail out Macchindra Chate recently, Munde said, “I am not ashamed. If a citizen is hassled, it is our duty to help him.” To a query, he said, “We shall not stop the government from taking action against irregular coaching classes. If Chate is doing something wrong, he should be hanged,” he added.

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Meanwhile, Anil Deshmukh told UNI today that strict action will be taken against the six coaching classes found involved in submission of fake documents of students appearing for this year’s HSC examination in the state. The state government has been investigating links between coaching classes and junior colleges/schools that have been forwarding ineligible applicants for the HSC examination. Even after the declaration of the HSC results last month, the state government is yet to close the inquiry.

According to Deshmukh, a 2,163 students from 24 junior colleges and six coaching classes in Mumbai had appeared illegally for the HSC examination. Action will be taken against Vivekanand Classes, Mehta Classes, Deepak Classes, Career Classes, Cambridge Classes and Lal Classes.

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