Delhi HC issues notice on plea to audit unaided private schools

The NGO contended that the DoE, despite having a statutory obligation under the DSE Act 1973

New Delhi: The Delhi high court on Wednesday issued notice in a petition seeking directions to the Directorate of Education (DoE) to conduct a thorough audit of the accounts of all recognised private unaided schools in Delhi for the last three academic years, including 2022-23, 2023-24, and 2024-25.

Section 18 of the DSE Act mandates the DoE to conduct regular audits every year. (Representative image)

A bench of chief justice DK Upadhyaya and justice Tejas Karia sought the DoE’s response in the petition filed by NGO, Justice for All and set April 22 as the next hearing date.

In its petition filedon February 10, argued by advocates Khagesh Jha and Shikha Sharma, the NGO contended that the DoE, despite having a statutory obligation under the Delhi School Education Act, 1973 (DSE Act 1973), failed to ensure regular audits of accounts of unrecognised private schools in the Capital.

To be sure, Section 18 of the DSE Act mandates the DoE to conduct regular audits every year.

The NGO submitted that this inaction led to a complete lack of financial transparency and accountability, enabling private schools to engage in unchecked commercialisation by charging exorbitant fees. The petition said that private schools increased their fees by up to 200% in the last two years alone, causing immense financial hardship for parents. The situation has been exacerbated by the Delhi government’s decision to withhold the operation of the newly legislated Delhi Fee Regulation Act, 2025, for the current academic session.

It further pointed out that although inspections were conducted in over 1,624 private unaided schools in April- May last year, not a single audit of their accounts was carried out, rendering the inspection meaningless.

“Respondents’ inaction has led to a situation where the fundamental right to education, as guaranteed under Article 21A of the Constitution, is being undermined. Education is being made unaffordable for a large section of society due to the unchecked profiteering by private school managements, which is against the public interest,” the petition stated.