HC gives Delhi govt 10 weeks to act on EWS fee violations

The court disposed of the petition with a direction for the association to file a fresh, comprehensive representation within four weeks.

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the Directorate of Education (DoE) to decide within 10 weeks on a plea seeking action against several private schools for allegedly charging fees from students admitted under the economically weaker section (EWS) and disadvantaged group (DG) quotas.

The HC instructed DoE to take appropriate action within 10 weeks of receiving the new representation. (HT Archive)

A bench of chief justice DK Upadhyay and justice Tushar Rao Gedela noted that although the petitioner -- the Wazirpur JJ Colony Association -- had earlier submitted a representation to DoE on the issue, the department had not yet acted on it.

The court disposed of the petition with a direction for the association to file a fresh, comprehensive representation within four weeks. It also instructed DoE to examine the matter and take appropriate action within 10 weeks of receiving the new representation.

“Having regard to the issue raised, we permit the petitioner to take up the cause of all such students by way of a representation before DoE. The said representation shall be made within a period of four weeks… and a decision shall be taken within 10 weeks from the date of receipt, after affording an opportunity of hearing to the schools concerned,” the court said in its order.

The association had alleged in its plea that several private schools in Delhi were violating the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009, by demanding fees from students admitted under the EWS/DG quotas and, in some cases, expelling those unable to pay. Under the RTE Act and Article 21A of the Constitution, children aged 6 to 14 from these categories are entitled to free education up to Class 8.

The order comes just two days after Delhi education minister Ashish Sood introduced the Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Bill, 2025, in the Assembly. The bill, which aims to regulate fee structures in 1,677 unaided private schools, proposes a three-tier grievance redressal mechanism, parental representation in fee decisions, and penalties of up to ₹10 lakh for violations.