Delhi private schools may move SC on govt nod for fee hike

New Delhi: Private schools in the national capital, which have been mandated by the Supreme Court to take government nod for fee hike, may knock the doors of apex court again.

On Monday, the apex court had dismissed an appeal of committee of private unaided schools, located on land allotted here by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), challenging a Delhi high court order asking them to take government’s prior nod before hiking fees.

A bench headed by Chief Justice J.S. Khehar said these schools have to take permission from the government before hiking fees as they are on land allotted to them by the DDA and refused to admit the plea for hearing.

“We have another chance to challenge the order of HC that mandated government nod for fee hike. We are just discussing the possible options of moving SC again,” said S.K. Bhattacharya, chairperson of action committee of private schools, which has over 1,000 schools registered with it. “It will be premature to comment on the content of the possible petition but we are working on it,” he added.

Last year, the government had ordered that private unaided recognised schools built on DDA land or other government agencies on concessional rates or otherwise shall not increase tuition fee without prior permission of the directorate, prompting schools to take the legal recourse.

The Delhi high court, in its order, had said that private unaided schools on DDA land have to take prior government sanction before hiking fees and schools cannot indulge in profiteering and commercialisation of education. It had also directed the Delhi government’s directorate of education to ensure compliance of the terms in letter of allotment regarding increase of fees by these schools.

It had also directed the  Delhi Development Authority to take appropriate steps in accordance with the law against those private schools, which violated the stipulation regarding fee hike in the letter of allotment.