HC asks Delhi govt to reconsider Delhi Public School Society's proposal to hike fees

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court today asked the AAP government to reconsider the proposal of Delhi Public School Society to hike student fees, a move that was earlier halted by the Directorate of Education (DoE).

Justice V Kameswar Rao asked the society to make a representation to DoE of the Delhi government which has been directed to consider it and take a decision within 30 days.

With the direction, the court disposed of DPS Society's plea challenging DoE's December 27, 2016 decision to reject its proposal to hike fees by 16.95 per cent for the academic session 2016-17.

The society had also challenged DoE's circular of January 6, 2017, which prohibited the society from holding a meeting of its managing committee to hike its fees for the academic year 2017-18 to implement the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations.

The society had contended that it wanted to hike fees in order to implement the pay commission recommendations and the resolution to do so was passed by its management on February 4, 2016.

Thereafter, on February 19, 2016, DoE had passed an order saying that the high court has held that private unaided schools on DDA land need prior sanction of the government before hiking fees and the management of such institutions was not competent to increase the fees, the petition had said.

The society had claimed that an auditor appointed by DoE to look into the reasons for the fee hike had said in its report that the increase was justified, but despite this the government did not permit it.

Additional standing counsel Santosh Kumar Tripathi, appearing for DoE, said the plea was premature as the society could have approached the department within 30 days of the order if it felt there was some deficiency on the government's part as DoE was open to looking into it.

DoE also said the external auditor was not competent to decide the issue of fee hike and this power was vested only in the Director of Education.

In view of the DoE's submission, the court asked the society to make a representation to it and directed the department to decide it within 30 days.