HON’BLE SMT. JUSTICE T. MEENA KUMARI A N D HON’BLE SRI JUSTICE K.C. BHANU Writ Petition No.25144 of 2005 Dated:December 12, 2005 Between: News Item published in Eenadu Telugu Daily dated 17-11-2005 under the caption “Idena Samkshemam” and “Vanukuthunna Samkshemam” forwarded by the Secretary, A.P. High Court Legal Service Committee … Petitioner And The Govt. of A.P. rep. by its Secretary, Social Welfare Dept., Secretariat, Hyderabad and 13 others. … Respondents Oral Order: (per the Hon’ble Smt. T. Meena Kumari, J) 1. The news item dated 17-11-2005 which was published in the Vernacular Daily “Eenadu” under the caption “Vanukutunna Sankshemam” reporting about the plight of the children in Government BC, SC and ST Hostels in the State of Andhra Pradesh is taken up as a writ petition. 2. According to the news item, most of the Backward Class, Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribe hostels run by the State Government in the State of Andhra Pradesh are in contemptible condition. The school going children who belong to below poverty line, staying in hostels by leaving their parents do not have blankets or any bedding and they are suffering a lot during the cold winter. Most of the children are sleeping on the ground without any bedding or blankets. Some children are using gunny bags as bedding and also as blankets. The newspaper has also published some photographs taken in the hostels of Vijayawada, Mahaboobnagar and Kadapa. 3. When the matter has come up for admission on 25-11-2005, an interim direction was granted by this Court to the respondents to provide winter clothes including beddings immediately to all the inmates of the B.C., S.C. & S.T. Hostels, if not already provided. The learned Government Pleader appearing for the first respondent Department submitted that the orders of this Court have been implemented and all the inmates of the social welfare hostels were provided with winter clothes, including the beddings. Recording the same, we deem it proper not to make any further order and close the writ petition. However, we make it clear that the Secretary, Social Welfare Department should ensure that the winter clothes to all the inmates of the social welfare hostels should be provided by the end of June every year from 2006 onwards. __________________ (Smt. T. Meena Kumari, J) _______________________ (K. C. Bhanu, J) December 12, 2005. Note: Registry to mark copy of this order to all the respondents in this writ petition. (By order) svs