HC stays Haryana instructions on admissions without SLCs

The Punjab and Haryana high court has stayed the Haryana government’s instructions of waiving production of school leaving certificate (SLC) for an admission in a government school

The Punjab and Haryana high court has stayed the Haryana government’s instructions of waiving production of school leaving certificate (SLC) for an admission in a government school.

The court has adjourned the matter to October 28 while staying instructions issued on March 10. (iStock)

The high court bench of justice Sudhir Mittal acted on the plea of Sarv Haryana Private School Trust, a Hisar-based body of private schools.

The schools had argued that on March 10, district education officers have been asked to make admissions of students in government schools without SLCs, which is contrary to Rules 136(5) and 139(1) of the Haryana Education Rules, 2003.

No recognised school can admit a student from another recognised school without SLC. As a result, the private unrecognised schools are suffering financially, the court was told.

The Haryana government counsel had told court that the said rules permit the state government to issue directions permitting a school to admit students without SLC.

However, court observed that a perusal of the said rule, prima facie, does not grant any such powers. It adjourned the matter to October 28 while staying instructions issued on March 10.

The petitioner had told court that government is passing the orders from time-to-time which shows that it is not only violating the statutory provisions of law rampantly but also substantiating their action on this ground that provisions be amended so that the respondents could justify their actions.

The orders have been passed to scuttle the rights of the private unaided schools who are facing so much financial issues on the aspect of the non-receiving of fee from the students since the outbreak of Covid-19 and the department has passed the instructions from time-to-time curtailing the rights of private unaided schools to charge the fee from the students studying in the member schools, the court was told adding that the HC has already settled the issue of collection of fee in which the rights of the private unaided schools have been upheld to charge the fee from the students.