Maxfort School seeks contempt action against education directorate

NEW DELHI: Maxfort School on Tuesday moved the Delhi High Court, seeking contempt action against the directorate of education (DoE) for allegedly violating a court

NEW DELHI: Maxfort School on Tuesday moved the Delhi High Court, seeking contempt action against the directorate of education (DoE) for allegedly violating a court order on its takeover by the Delhi government.

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The matter is listed for hearing on Wednesday.

Last week, the high court had asked the government not to take any “coercive steps” in connection with the takeover of the school till further orders, and also appointed a local commissioner to visit the school and take custody of the school’s entire record in both physical as well as digital form.

The contempt petition filed by advocate Pramod Gupta, on behalf of the school, alleged that the DoE officials “hindered the functioning of the local commissioner and…even tried to copy the data in separate pen drive and remove it from the school premises.”

The high cour t said on Wednesday that officers of the DoE “shall not interfere with the functioning of the local commissioner, but shall be present for the purposes of observing the proceedings and for de-sealing and sealing the location where the records are kept.”

The order came on the plea of Maxfort School challenging the Lieutenant Governor’s approval given to the Delhi government’s decision to take over the institute’s two branches at Pitampura and Rohini.

This is the first time the Delhi government has taken action against a private, unaided school after a clutch of complaints against it by the parents’ association.

The DoE’s counsel told the court that there were allegations of forged and fabricated records having been produced by the school. The department said it feared the records would have been tampered with.