Private schools cannot charge fees without regulation and approval. Photo: Symbolic
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Jagran correspondent, New Delhi. During the hearing in the Delhi High Court on Friday, the Delhi government clearly said that private schools cannot charge fees for the new academic session from April 1 without regulation and approval. The government told the court that under the new fee regulation regime, charging any fee other than the fixed and approved fees would be prohibited by law.
Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for the government, argued that if the formation of School Level Fee Regulation Committees (SLFRCs) is banned, it will have serious consequences. He said that the formation of these committees will not cause any loss to the schools, rather it will enable the process of fixing fees to be completed before the new session.
A bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyay and Justice Tejas Karia was hearing petitions by private school associations challenging the February 1 government notification. In this notification, schools were directed to constitute school-level fee regulation committees within 10 days.
The government told the court that schools can charge only approved fees under the Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fee Determination and Regulation) Act. If the fees are not fixed before April 1, 2026 and schools charge arbitrary fees, then the very purpose of the law, which aims to stop commercialization and profiteering, will be defeated.
Senior advocate Akhil Sibal, appearing for the private schools, argued that the government's February 1 notification is not legally sustainable as it changes the time limit prescribed in the Act.
He said that as per the law, the process of determining fees should have started from July of the previous academic year and it is not practically possible to take a unanimous decision in such a short period.
While listing the case for further hearing on February 24, the court also extended the February 10 deadline given to private schools to form SLFRC till then. The court said that an order on the demand to stay the notification can be passed on the next date.
Delhi Directorate of Education, in its reply, said that if the new law is not implemented from the session 2026-27, then the objective of fee regulation and providing relief to parents will remain unfulfilled. According to the government, this order has been issued as a special interim arrangement for three academic years, so that the fees remain transparent and controlled from the beginning of the new session.
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