KV admission age criteria: Delhi HC seeks centre's response on petition challenging Class 1 admission age

The Delhi High Court is seeking the central government's response to a plea challenging the minimum age criteria for Class 1 admissions in KV.

KVS admission age criteria: Delhi High Court is seeking the centre's stand on a plea by a girl aged five challenging Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan's decision fixing six years as the minimum age for Class 1 admissions in Kendriya Vidyalayas for the upcoming academic year. The petition alleges that the KV admission age criteria were changed suddenly and the previous minimum age was five. The case which is being heard by Justice Rekha Palli has been listed for further hearing on March 10.

The petition also alleges that the change in the KV admission age criteria, which was previously five years old, violates articles 14, 21, and 21-A of the constitution as well as under the provisions of the Delhi School Education Act, 1973 and the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009.

The petitioner is a five-year-old girl who is represented by a lawyer, Ashok Agarwal.

The petitioner alleged that the KV admission age criteria of Class 1 were changed suddenly by the KVS to six years just four days prior to the commencement of the admission process last month.

The petition has further alleged that the change in the KV admission age criteria is arbitrary, discriminatory, unjust, unreasonable, and without the authority of law.

It adds that this sudden KV admission criteria change did not provide enough time for parents to make alternate arrangements.

The petition against KV admission age criteria via the girl's father states, "The change to six-plus years is an invention of the respondent KV without any mandate from the NEP 2020 (the National Education Policy 2020) and that too to the disadvantage of children like the petitioner."