Overview

• Pankhuri Tripathi returned to Class 7 on July 7 after a four-month break prompted by her father’s accident and loss of income.
• On July 5, Gorakhpur’s Basic Education Officer issued a formal instruction requiring the Vidya Bharati-run school to admit her with a full waiver following Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s assurance.
• The Saraswati Shishu Mandir management had initially refused her waiver request, citing no existing provision and reportedly treating the family disrespectfully.
• Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav criticized the government’s educational pledges and warned officials against involving children in political disputes.
• The case has exposed a lack of standardized fee-waiver mechanisms in private and ideology-affiliated schools and prompted calls for policy reforms across Uttar Pradesh.