Advertise vacant general category seats in private schools: Delhi HC to state govt
India Today
Delhi High Court has directed the state government to advertise vacant general category seats in private institutions.
The Delhi High Court has directed the Delhi government to issue advertisements in leading newspapers to make students aware of vacant general category seats in several private schools because of the Covid-19 pandemic where they could be admitted to the corresponding higher classes.
The High Court gave the order while deciding on several pleas from almost every private school in Delhi that they were unable to fill up all general category seats in their entry-level classes for the academic session 2022-2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Responding to the court’s query if these seats could be filled presently as all schools have reopened physically, the Delhi government’s counsel submitted that it can be attempted via the issuing of a public notice in this regard by the Directorate of Education (DoE).
“The respondents (Delhi government and DoE) are, with the consent of the parties, directed that advertisements be issued by the respondents in all leading newspapers within one week, informing the prospective students that since some general category seats in the entry-level classes in various private schools had remained un-filled in the last academic session, therefore, students can now be accommodated in the corresponding higher classes in the said schools in the current academic session, for which applications may be made to the schools within ten days,” said Justice Rekha Palli.
The court stated that the advertisement would explicitly disclose that the details of schools with vacant general category seats, against which students can be admitted, can be found on the Department of Education's website.
The court’s order came while hearing a plea by private school Aadharshila Vidyapeeth challenging an order passed by the authorities by which its representation seeking exemption from admitting further Economically Weaker Section (EWS) students allotted by the respondents for admission to entry-level classes in academic session 2021-2022 had been rejected.
Appearing for the petitioning school, Advocate Jyoti Taneja and Bhavya Vijay Tangri told the court that the order issued by the authorities was wholly perverse.
