E-Paper
Haryana: School found running ‘illegally’, officials under HC lens
The high court has asked the Haryana government as to why action not be taken against the officials who allowed a private school to function in Panchkula without recognition
The high court has asked the Haryana government as to why action not be taken against the officials who allowed a private school to function in Panchkula without recognition.
The high court bench of chief justice RS Jha and justice Arun Palli acted on the plea of a Panchkula resident, Manish Kumar Banger.
Banger had told court that he had filed a plea against Sky World School, Panchkula, for running Classes 9 and 10 without obtaining necessary recognition. He alleged that after the plea was filed in 2020, his children were forced to leave the school without any refund of fee.
The petitioner further stated that the permission granted to the school in July 2019 was conditional with a clear stipulation that it would not admit students till recognition is granted. Though the authorities had taken note of this fact, no penal action was taken against the school and the matter was closed by issuing a warning, it was alleged.
The petitioner had referred to a high court judgment, wherein directions were given that no school be allowed to function in violation of the provisions of the Haryana School Education Act, 1995. According to another high court ruling cited by Banger, all such schools were ordered to refund fee to all students and the government was asked to take penal action too.
It was further submitted that the school is playing with the future of children, as it has been granting admissions illegally and extracting hefty fees.
Banger’s counsel Abhinav Aggarwal had told court that the authorities have passed the warning order in absolute ignorance of law. They have manipulated the record and have ensured that petitioner would not be granted time or opportunity to represent his case before them, by issuing notice to him just a day before the hearing, the court was told, adding that an appropriate action be taken against the school as well as against the officials involved.
The government counsel had admitted that the permission granted in July 2019 was conditional, and had further sought time to file an affidavit about the steps taken by the authorities against the unrecognised school and the fact that how the school in question was allowed to continue to run Classes 9 and 10 in the absence of recognition.
The court has now asked as to why steps be not taken against officials and also asked the state government to apprise the court about the steps taken by the authorities to prohibit this school as well as other similarly situated unrecognised schools from granting admissions to students. The state has been told to file a response by September 10.
