Archive · 24 Aug 2026
Justice Varale Questions Kumbh Spending Amid Marathi School Closures
Justice Prasanna B. Varale spoke about schools in Maharashtra.
He said many Marathi-medium schools have closed because they did not receive enough support.
He suggested that a very small part of the money planned for the Nashik Kumbh could have helped keep 100 to 125 schools open.
He also mentioned that large sums were being planned for a corridor project.
Varale said education spending has stayed too low even though there are more students.
He said some schools do not have basic facilities such as safe sleeping areas and modern equipment.
He shared that he studied in Marathi-medium schools until Class 10 and still became a Supreme Court judge.
He said children need good education and healthcare.
Justice Prasanna B. Varale said 0.1% of Nashik Kumbh funds could have helped save 100 to 125 Marathi-medium schools.
He cited Kumbh allocations ranging from Rs 32,000 crore to Rs 34,000 crore and about Rs 11,000 crore for a corridor project.
Varale said Maharashtra’s education budget has not reached 13% for several years despite a growing student population.
He highlighted inadequate school facilities, including a reported incident in which three girls died after snakebites while sleeping on a floor.
Speaking at a smart-class event in Dhule district, he defended Marathi-medium education through his own schooling experience.
- Who
- Supreme Court Justice Prasanna B. Varale.
- What
- He criticized inadequate education funding and the closure of Marathi-medium schools, saying 0.1% of Kumbh spending could have helped save 100 to 125 schools.
- When
- At an event held on a Saturday; the articles do not provide the exact date.
- Where
- At a smart-class inauguration connected with a school in Dhule district, Maharashtra, including an event in Shirpur.
- Why
- To call for greater priority for education, basic school facilities, and children’s welfare.
Education-first view
Development-spending view
Use of public funds
Education-first view
Justice Varale argued that a small fraction of the funds allocated for the Kumbh could have helped prevent the closure of 100 to 125 Marathi-medium schools.
Development-spending view
Justice Varale said he had no objection to spending on the Kumbh or development projects; his concern was whether education was receiving adequate priority alongside them.
School infrastructure
Education-first view
Varale called for essential facilities, digital screens, computers, laboratories, and better basic infrastructure in schools.
Development-spending view
The articles do not report a direct government response, but they describe substantial allocations for the Kumbh and corridor projects that Varale referenced as competing priorities.
- Kumbh allocation cited
- Justice Varale referred to figures of Rs 32,000 crore and Rs 34,000 crore for the Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha Kumbh Mela.
- Corridor allocation cited
- About Rs 11,000 crore was cited for a corridor project.
- Suggested education share
- Varale said 0.1% of the Kumbh allocation would be approximately Rs 32 crore.
- Schools cited
- He said 100 to 125 Marathi-medium schools across Maharashtra could have been saved from closure.
- Education budget
- He said education spending had not reached 13% for several years despite a growing student population.
- Varale’s schooling
- He studied through Class 10 in municipal and Zilla Parishad Marathi-medium schools.
- Reported school deaths
- He cited an incident in which three female students reportedly died from snakebites after sleeping on the floor because of inadequate facilities.
Sources
Nashik: Justice P.B. Varale Questions Closure Of Marathi Schools Amid Crores Spent On Kumbh
‘0.1% of Nashik Kumbh funds could have helped save 100-125 Marathi schools’: Justice Varale
‘Even 0.1% of Nashik Kumbh Mela Spending Could Save Schools From Closure’: SC Justice Prasanna B Varale Flags Maharashtra’s Shrinking Education Budget
