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Synopsis

A division bench of the Bombay High Court comprising Justice GS Patel and Justice Neela Gokhale on Friday remarked that judicial officers in Gadchiroli sit with tigers inside the court. 

"Some of our judicial officers sit with even tigers in their court there,” Justice Patel said in a lighter vein.

The remark was made while hearing a plea filed by Anghanwadi workers against action by state government. 

Senior Advocate Gayatri Singh, appearing for the workers told the bench that it would be difficult to deliver handset especially in areas like Gadchiroli. 

The counsel added that it would distribute handsets to the workers through the vendors. The high court responded and said that it would be very difficult in the remotest terrain areas of Maharashtra.

Justice Patel added that he was speaking from personal experience that vendors would not be able to deliver the handsets. He said that judicial officers were delivered power back by the vendors earlier.

The high court was hearing a plea filed by Anganwadi Workers against action initiated by Maharashtra Government against disciplinary action taken by the State government. 

The state government had initiated action against the workers for not entering beneficiary data on the POSHAN tracker app. 

The Anghanwadi workers had pleaded that the app was non-functional and for the same reasons, the workers could not fill in the detail. However, the court was informed that the workers had maintained a physical record of the same.

Today, the high court directed the State Government and Central Government to provide new handsets to the workers in which the app would be functional. The government had been asked to provide handsets to the workers within 3 months.

The court also recorded that in any circumstances the process of procurement, sampling, and distribution of handsets would not be stopped due to lack of funds. The court said that even if the center does not disburse 60% of the total funds, the state can spend the same and subsequently get it reimbursed or adjusted with the central government.

The bench directed the Child Development Project Officer to take the delivery and further distribute it to the workers in their respective areas.

The bench also recorded that the state government would not issue any fresh action against the workers and the earlier action against workers has been stayed. 

The high court will take up the case after 3 months on 18th October 2023.

Case title: Anganwadi Karmachari vs ICDS Commissionerate