The Delhi High Court strongly criticised Delhi Public School, Dwarka, saying it “deserves to shut down” for allegedly treating students with indignity. In a rare scene, several students in school uniforms, accompanied by their parents, attended the court proceedings to highlight their grievances.
The Delhi High Court slammed Delhi Public School Dwarka on Wednesday for treating students with “indignity” by confining them to a library and preventing them from attending classes due to fee issues.
Justice Sachin Datta stated that the school, which he described as treating students like “chattel,” deserved to be shut down. The Court emphasized that safeguards must be put in place to protect students from being tortured by an institution operating merely as a “money-making machine.”
During the court proceedings, several students in their school uniforms, along with their parents, were present, creating a dramatic scene.
The judge remarked,
“I am concerned that you treated the students in a shabby and inhuman way… Inability to pay fees does not give the school the licence to treat students with such indignity,”
The High Court reviewed an inspection report from an eight-member committee led by the district magistrate (southwest), which highlighted various discriminatory practices against students amid the fee hike controversy.
Parents of the affected students reported that school authorities harassed their children for not paying an “unauthorized fee.”
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The committee’s report indicated “an alarming state of affairs” within the school, prompting the Court to order the institution to stop confining students in the library, allow them to attend classes, and ensure they were not segregated from their peers or denied access to amenities.
The Court stated,
“One should criminally prosecute the principal of the school for this behavior,”
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This ruling came in response to an application filed on behalf of the students. While the students’ counsel asserted that they were prepared to pay the approved fee amount, the school’s lawyer argued that showcause notices were issued to the students in December, but they failed to settle their dues by March, leading to their exclusion from school.
The counsel representing the Delhi government’s Directorate of Education noted that a showcause notice was issued to the school on April 8, requiring the management to explain within seven days why derecognition actions should not be taken against it.