DPS Dwarka fee row: Delhi HC directs parents to pay 50% of hiked fee from 2024-25

A bench of justice Vikas Mahajan, while saying that the parents had failed to provide proof regarding DoE’s rejection of fees fixed by the school from 2024-25

New Delhi

The matter would be now heard on August 28. (Representative photo)

The Delhi high court on Wednesday turned down the request of over 100 parents of Delhi Public School (DPS), Dwarka, students to charge only approved fees for the 2025-26 academic session, and ordered them to pay 50% of the hiked fee from the 2024-25 academic session, until the Directorate of Education (DoE) takes a call on their request.

A bench of justice Vikas Mahajan, while saying that the parents had failed to provide proof regarding DoE’s rejection of fees fixed by the school from 2024-25, directed the school to comply with its April 16 order—that discrimination and victimisation of students on the grounds of non-payment of hiked fee was unacceptable.

In his 17-page order, justice Mahajan said that the law permitted schools to fix the fees as per the projected expenses without DoE’s approval but the authority had the power to check if the decision was irrational or arbitrary.

“At the outset, it may be specifically stated that any discrimination and victimization of the students on the ground of non-payment of hiked fee cannot be countenanced. The school and the DoE shall remain bound by the interim directions passed by the Coordinate Bench of this Court in order dated April 16,” the bench said.

The matter would be now heard on August 28.

It said in the order, “In that view of the matter, the parents of the students studying in DPS- Dwarka ought to pay the fee as per the statements of fee submitted by the school for the academic sessions 2024-25 onwards, till the time the DoE takes a decision on the same, and further subject to the final outcome of the present writ petition. Therefore, it is directed that the wards of the petitioners shall be allowed to continue their studies in their respective classes till the pendency of the present petition subject to the parents depositing 50% of the hiked school fee for the academic years 2024-25 onwards.”

The order was issued on a plea filed by over 102 parents, questioning DPS Dwarka’s decision to hike fees for the 2025-26 academic session. In their petition, the parents had sought directions to the DoE and lieutenant governor VK Saxena to take over the school’s management, in the wake of its actions of harassing the students due to non-payment of unapproved fees.

However, in the interim, they sought directions for the school to charge only the approved fees for the current and future academic sessions.

The plea was filed days after the school struck off the names of the 32 students on May 9 and restrained them from entering the premises by deploying bouncers. This action had resulted in dozens of parents staging a protest, which was the latest flashpoint in a months-long standoff between the school and students’ families, many of whom refused to pay a revised fee that lacked approval from the DoE. A bench of justice Sachin Datta last week reserved orders in the plea filed by parents of 32 students who were allegedly expelled due to their failure to pay hiked fees, seeking their reinstatement.