Jhalawar School Collapse: Constitutional Right to Life Under Article 21 Violated in Tragedy
Introduction
On one of the mornings in July 2025, a wing of the Government middle school in Jhalawar, Rajasthan, collapsed unexpectedly. What used to be a safe haven became a place of tragedy in classrooms. The collapse claimed the lives of eight young people and injured many more.
Beyond the shock of horror, there was a greater infringement: the constitutional guarantee of the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution of India, 1950, had been violated.
Section 21, Constitution of India
Article 21 of the Indian Constitution in its unamended form provides that, No person is entitled to the right to life and personal liberty under Article 21 unless it has been deprived from him in accordance with a procedure Under Law. The Constitution incorporates this article under Part III (Fundamental Rights).
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It forms the mainstay of the citizenry against an act that puts life in danger, arising either from the state or individuals. In lay terminologies, Article 21 gives an individual the right to lead with dignity and safety.
Facts of the Tragedy
It happened when the students were taking math class in period one and the northeastside of the old building collapsed after around 9:00 a.m. The children were at one time summing on the blackboard; at the next moment, bricks and plaster came falling down.
The building collapsed too quickly, and the teachers attempted to drag the students to safety. Think of a train coach in which many people are traveling when the roof collapses– that feeling of complete lack of protection and security, that is what these children underwent.
How Article 21 Was Violated
All the children are entitled to life, which encompasses school security. The collapse of a state-run school building is a sign of failure to uphold even the minimum of structural safety. As a population, we do not question the presence of working brakes on a bus, and yet parents and students expect sound walls in classrooms.
The problem described in Jhalawar did not repair the crack reported many months prior to the incident, when the school authorities denied the students protection under Article 21 of the Constitution.
Illustration: The Leaky Roof Parallel
Consider a scenario whereby you have been renting an apartment, and every monsoon season, the ceiling is leaking. You request your landlord to check it, but he ignores you. The ceiling caves in on one day, and you are seriously hurt. It would be correct to tell you that the landlord did not fulfill his responsibility to keep you safe.
On the same note, the state government and school administration will be equivalent to the landlord of our schools. The lack of action on their part transformed a minor repairing task into a disaster that led to loss of lives.
Legal Responsibilities of School Authorities
The schools in Rajasthan have to restrict the repairs of school buildings to every year, as stipulated in the Rajasthan Education Act, 1956 (Section 27). Moreover, the schools must regularly maintain the building safety norms developed under the Rajasthan Municipalities Act, 2009 (Section 114). Failure to follow such legal procedures violates the Article 21 guarantee of life with dignity. We must not only adhere to the law in paper, but also uphold it in spirit.
Illustration: The Safety Net Analogy
Think of safety laws as a protective net for a tightrope walker. The walker won’t move in terror once the net is securely in place. However, when the net is perforated or lacking, one error is fatal. The net of legal inspections and maintenance had many holes in the Jhalawar school.
Responsibility of the State
Article 21 is binding not only to non-state actors but also to the state. It is the role of the state not to put life in danger by putting in place public infrastructure. Courts not only have a duty to demand improved services but also to take initiatives, such as ensuring timely repairs and providing adequate funds for maintaining schools.
Illustration: The Child’s Expectation
A 6-year-old going to a classroom knows that it is safe, just as a kid knows that a swing set is secure in a playground. Article 21 is there to guard that mere presumption of safety. When the walls of the school collapsed, that trust also fell apart.
House Against Neglect: Holding Officials Accountable
The relatives of the deceased have gone to the High Court demanding a writ of mandamus, an order to compel the state to execute safety clusters in every school.
This situation already happened previously, in Francis Coralie Mullin v. The Supreme Court held that the right to live with dignity and facilities that enable decent life was part of the right to life so decreed by the Administrator. Children do not have that dignity in a school without safe walls.
Conclusion
The Jhalawar school fallout was more than a collapse in structure; it was a moral and constitutional collapse. Article 21 does not theoretically guarantee life; it demands the respect of all children’s right to safety and dignity. We must fix our spirits to protect all lives, as justice has replaced grief. Safe schools are not a charitable gift to a school but a guarantee of the constitution.
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