HC quashes govt orders on annual fee by pvt schools

New Delhi: The Delhi government has no power to indefinitely postpone collection of annual charges and development fees by private unaided schools as it would unreasonably restrict their functioning, the Delhi High Court said on Monday.

The high court quashed the office orders of April and August 2020 issued by the Directorate of Education (DoE) of the Delhi government forbidding and postponing collection of annual charges and development fees, saying they were "illegal" and "ultra vires the powers of the respondent (DoE) stipulated under the Delhi School Education (DSE) Act and the Rules.

Justice Jayant Nath, however, noted that schools are saving some money on account of the fact that they are physically shut and said that the Supreme Court's direction — in Indian School, Jodhpur vs. State of Rajasthan — that schools shall collect annual fees with a deduction of 15 per cent shall apply in the instant case.