The Bombay High Court recently acknowledged the challenges encountered by district and subordinate court judges who are required to work in distant or remote regions.
During the hearing of a case pertaining to Anganwadi workers in such areas, a bench consisting of Justice GS Patel and Justice Gauri highlighted the circumstances faced by judicial officers, noting that some have to conduct court proceedings while tigers roam nearby.
“Some of our judicial officers sit with even tigers in their court there,” the bench stated.
Hence, the division bench directed both the Central and State governments to ensure the provision of appropriate mobile handsets to Anganwadi workers in remote areas of Maharashtra within a period of 3 months.
This directive aimed to facilitate the entry of data into the Central government’s POSHAN tracker app, which monitors the activities of Anganwadi centers across the country. During the proceedings, senior advocate Gayatri Singh expressed concerns about the feasibility of delivering the handsets to rural and remote regions of Maharashtra, particularly in districts like Gadchiroli. Recognizing the challenges in reaching such areas, the bench instructed the State government to make every effort to expedite the distribution of handsets.
The Anganwadi workers had approached the court to challenge the disciplinary action taken against them by the State government for their inability to enter data into the app. They argued that they were provided with outdated and non-functional handsets, which hindered their ability to perform the required data entry. In response, the court ordered the State government to ensure that functional devices are provided to the workers.
The State government informed the court about its plan to distribute the handsets through vendors. However, the bench expressed skepticism about relying on vendors for distribution, citing an incident where vendors failed to deliver power backup to judicial officers in remote districts due to a lack of direct transportation.
To address this issue, the division bench suggested that the State government involve the Child Development Project Officers (CDPO) in the distribution process. The bench also cautioned against halting the procurement, sampling, and distribution of the handsets due to a lack of funds.
“We are not concerned how Central and State government arrange the financial affair of 60-40% funding. We urge the Centre to attend to the matter at maximum possible priority. The process will not be stopped for non-receipt of funds from Centre. The State will proceed,” the bench directed.
Furthermore, the division bench clarified that through this order, the State would be eligible for reimbursement of up to 60% of the funds expended, if any, on behalf of the Central government.
“The handsets are required for the ultimate beneficiary which is the mother and children. This is the only way financial support can be made available to beneficiary. That is the primary objective and procedural requirements will not be a hindrance,” the bench added.
