A school playground in Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh, has been cleared of encroachment and handed back to the authorities after 15 years, following a petition before the Madhya Pradesh High Court by senior advocate Pavan Singh Raghuvanshi. The development restores access to sports infrastructure for around 1,200 students of the Government Excellence Higher Secondary School.
The state government informed the high court that the encroachment had been removed and that the playground was handed over to the school principal. The court subsequently disposed of Raghuvanshi’s petition, which had sought action against those occupying the school’s sports ground.
The court also directed the authorities to ensure that all school playgrounds in Vidisha district are free from encroachment. The order extends the matter beyond one school and places responsibility on the district administration to examine the status of similar public education assets.
According to the report, the playground had been used for commercial activities by the encroachers, including the establishment of the Canara Cricket Club and the organisation of local cricket matches. The encroachers were described as influential, while the identity of the individuals or entities involved was not disclosed in the report.
Raghuvanshi, who studied at the school and practises at the Gwalior bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, said he first approached the school principal to obtain details about the encroachment. He then issued a notice to the Vidisha district collector, who is also the president of the school’s managing committee, seeking the removal of the occupation.
After moving the high court, he gathered details about the alleged commercial use of the playground. The court sought a status report from the state government before the authorities cleared the site and returned it to the school.
The advocate told Deccan Chronicle that playgrounds attached to government schools are part of essential government infrastructure and are necessary for students’ physical and overall development. He argued that the right to education under Article 21-A of the Constitution cannot be limited to access to classrooms and must include necessary school infrastructure and facilities.
The case highlights an administrative gap that can arise when public land attached to schools is occupied or diverted for uses unrelated to education. In this instance, the district collector’s role as president of the school managing committee connected the protection of the playground to the district administration’s institutional responsibilities.
School staff told the newspaper that students responded with joy when they gathered on the playground after 15 years. The court’s direction to review all school playgrounds in Vidisha district now places the next responsibility on the authorities to identify and remove any remaining encroachments and ensure that the recovered spaces remain available for students.
