Court refuses to review Uttar Pradesh school access orders under Article 32

In a recent hearing, the Supreme Court declined to entertain a petition that challenged Uttar Pradesh's ban on external visitors to government schools. The order, issued by the District Basic Education Officer in Ayodhya on 19 August 2026, expressly forbids journalists, YouTubers, civil‑society members and anyone else from entering council schools or making audio‑visual recordings without prior permission from a competent authority.

The petition argued that the restriction infringes on the right to information and hampers public scrutiny of school conditions across districts such as Azamgarh, Ballia, Basti, Balrampur, Shamli and Agra. It also linked the ban to the ‘School Thik Karo’ campaign launched by the Cockroach Janata Party, which aims to reveal shortcomings in public school infrastructure.

The bench, however, stated that the court would not consider the case under Article 32 of the Constitution, effectively dismissing the challenge and leaving the Uttar Pradesh directives unexamined.