Today, On 5th March: The Delhi High Court has temporarily modified the income threshold for EWS school admissions, establishing it at Rs 2.5 lakh. This adjustment comes following a division bench’s decision, superseding a previous ruling by a single judge. The new threshold aims to facilitate admissions for economically weaker families during ongoing proceedings.
New Delhi: Today, March 5th: The Delhi High Court, a division bench, set aside the prior ruling by a single judge pertaining to the threshold income for school admissions within the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category. The previous ruling had elevated the threshold income from Rs 1 lakh to Rs. 5 lakh per annum.
Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora, comprising the division bench, adjusted the threshold income to Rs.2.5 lakhs, thereby modifying the earlier decision.
“Till further orders, there shall be a stay on the directions contained in paragraph 119 of the impugned judgement. The threshold income under the EWS category shall be increased from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh till further orders,” the division bench ordered.
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Furthermore, the division bench temporarily stayed the implementation of directives issued by the single judge regarding the elimination of self-declarations of income.
Previously, children whose parents earned less than Rs.1 lakh annually and had resided in Delhi for the past three years were eligible for EWS reservation.
This income criterion underwent revision following a ruling by Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav, a single judge, in December 2023. Justice Kaurav had raised the income threshold for admissions under the EWS quota to Rs. 5 lakhs while advocating for the elimination of self-declared income and proposed an alternative government framework.
Subsequently, the Delhi Government contested the judgment by filing an appeal, citing difficulties in implementing the single judge’s order amidst ongoing EWS admissions for the current session.
Santosh Kumar Tripathi, the Delhi Government’s Standing Counsel, argued that proof of income documentation could impede the education of children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, as they may lack such documentation. Tripathi emphasized that while the government acknowledged the need to revise the income threshold, the determination of the threshold amount should be a policy decision made by the government cabinet.
Tripathi reiterated that, as per the EWS entitlement in Delhi, the threshold income should be approximately Rs. 2.5 lakhs.
CASE TITLE: Directorate of Education v Master Singham & Anr