Have right to levy quarterly fee on parents, unaided schools tell HC

The Delhi HC today issued a notice to the Directorate of Education and a body representing parents and sought their response on a petition filed by unaided private schools challenging an order restraining them from levying quarterly fee from students. Harish V Nair reports.

The Delhi high court on Wednesday issued a notice to the Directorate of Education (DoE) and a body representing parents and sought their response on a petition filed by unaided private schools challenging an order restraining them from levying quarterly fee from students.

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A single judge bench of the court had on April 10 ruled that as per the Delhi School Education Rules, schools cannot ask students for more than a month’s fee at a time.

The action committee of Unaided Recognised Private Schools, in their petition against the April 10 order, said they had every right to make students pay three months’ fee at a time.

As per their lawyer Maninder Singh, “The rules (fee norms in the Delhi School Education Rules) are not applicable to unaided schools.”

“We will examine the issue in detail and pass order within this month,” a bench headed by acting chief justice BD Ahmed said and sought response from the DoE and Ashok Aggarwal, the parents’ lawyer, by July 24.

The schools had claimed that they charged quarterly fee on the basis of a Delhi government circular. But the court had said the DoE had no power to issue circulars in violation of Delhi School Education Rules.