Himachal High Court Grants Conditional Approval for Independence Day Event

The Himachal Pradesh High Court has allowed the state government to conduct the State-Level Independence Day function at a school in Barsar, subject to a ₹5 lakh donation to the school's Student Welfare Fund. The court criticized the government's last-minute approach and emphasized this decision doesn’t set a precedent.

The Himachal Pradesh High Court has granted conditional approval for the State-Level Independence Day celebration to be held at the playground of Government Senior Secondary School in Barsar, Hamirpur district. This decision requires the state government to deposit ₹5 lakh into the school's Students' Welfare Fund as a condition for use of the premises.

Despite intense criticism for submitting a last-minute request, the court allowed the event to go ahead due to the solemnity of the national occasion and the extent of preparations. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu is set to preside over the function on August 15.

The court emphasized that this exception should not be viewed as a precedent for future events, reiterating a 2017 ruling that educational premises should not typically be used for non-educational activities. The bench expressed concern for the students, whose school event is impacted by this decision.