Kerala High Court suggested a joint meeting between the Union government and Kerala to prepare an SOP for children with chronic neurodevelopmental disabilities.
Bombay High Court criticised Maharashtra over the lack of safe transport for children walking through wildlife-prone areas near Chandoli National Park and Sahyadri Tiger Reserve.
The court noted that 228 students from eight villages travel to five schools while facing exposure to wildlife attacks.
NGT formed a joint committee to examine allegations of illegal and unscientific laterite stone extraction in Khordha district, Odisha.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Syam Kumar V M of the Kerala High Court on August 19, 2026 said there is a need for a comprehensive policy and execution framework for the care, rehabilitation and palliative support of children with chronic neurodevelopmental disabilities.
The High Court said a joint meeting between the Union government and the Kerala government would help prepare a comprehensive standard operating procedure across the state. Both the Centre and the state government should therefore be stakeholders in the matter, the court said.
The Advocate General submitted that Kerala would prepare a report and share it with the Union government. The Additional Solicitor General of India submitted that the Union government would consider the SOP prepared by the state.
The court directed that, while preparing the SOP, the authorities should take into account observations made in the statement of facts. The statement said experts in paediatric palliative care had emphasised that palliative care for children should begin from the time of diagnosis and continue alongside curative and rehabilitative interventions.
However, paediatric palliative care in Kerala remains limited and is largely dependent on isolated institutional initiatives and voluntary organisations rather than an organised statewide public healthcare system, the statement said.
The Kerala State Palliative Care Policy envisages the active participation of local self-government institutions through ward-level palliative care services implemented by primary healthcare teams. However, implementation of these provisions for children with chronic disabilities has been inconsistent and inadequate, resulting in the absence of effective community-level support for affected families.
The Bombay High Court on August 19, 2026 criticised the Maharashtra government’s “appalling attitude” towards the safety of children who walk to school through wildlife-prone areas.
An affidavit filed by the petitioner’s counsel stated that 228 students from eight villages travel to five schools, facing continuous exposure to wildlife attacks as they walk through the Chandoli National Park and Sahyadri Tiger Reserve.
The court noted that one child travels nearly 30 kilometres to study in Class 6 and walks four hours daily because no transport facility is available.
There was ‘absolutely no concern’ for the safety of the children, the HC said, as even minimum transport facilities had not been provided to students travelling such long distances for education.
No affidavit had been filed by the District Collector or the Forest Department showing compliance with the court’s April 2, 2026 order. The High Court directed both authorities to file an affidavit explaining the non-compliance.
The court warned that, if it was not satisfied with the explanation, it would be ‘constrained to take a very serious view of the matter’.
On April 2, 2026, the Bombay High Court had directed the District Collector and the Forest Department to identify schools vulnerable to wildlife attacks and jointly deploy safe school transport for children, escorted by a dedicated Rapid Response Team.
The court had also directed that the Rapid Response Team be permanently stationed near the identified attack-prone schools between 6 am and 6 pm every day. Securing the approach to schools was necessary, the court had said, adding that ‘children cannot be left to navigate an active hunting ground’.
The court had further directed that one advanced life support ambulance be permanently stationed at the Shitturwarun primary centre.
‘Under Section 38V of the Wildlife Protection Act and Article 21, the State has a twin obligation: to protect the animals, and to protect the citizens from those animals,’ the High Court had said.
Despite the April 2 order, nothing had been done by the District Collector and the Forest Department to identify vulnerable schools or deploy safe school transport escorted by a dedicated Rapid Response Team, the court noted.
The National Green Tribunal’s eastern bench on August 17, 2026 directed the constitution of a joint committee to examine allegations of illegal and unscientific extraction of laterite stone from Olasingh Laterite Stone Quarry-B at Olasingh village in Tangi tehsil, Khordha district, Odisha.
The committee has been directed to visit the site, verify the factual position and suggest appropriate remedial action.
The application alleged that laterite stone was being extracted beyond the permissible limit and outside the lease area. It also alleged that mining operations were being carried out in violation of the conditions of environmental clearance, consent to establish, consent to operate and the approved mining plan.
The alleged violations include excavation beyond the approved quantity and permissible depth, mining beyond the lease area, transportation through village roads, violation of the safety zone, failure to develop a green belt or plantation, failure to follow the progressive mine closure plan, non-filing of quarterly compliance reports and non-compliance with environmental safeguards.
According to the environmental clearance, the lessee is required to plant and maintain at least 1,000 saplings of native species along approach roads, the safety zone of the lease area and community areas in consultation with the gram panchayat. However, the application alleged that not a single tree had been planted by the lessee.
The applicant also alleged that existing trees from the lease area and adjoining areas were being illegally felled without prior permission from the divisional forest officer, Khordha.
The applicant further submitted that representations dated May 10, 2026 had been sent to the competent authorities, but no effective action had been taken despite the alleged continuing violations.