Delhi HC issues notice to govt over denial of admission to students in govt schools

The Delhi High Court on Friday issued a notice to the Delhi government over a petition highlighting the mass scale denial of admission to students in government schools in Delhi.

The petition filed by advocate Ashok Agarwal also challenged the validity of four circulars -- dated September 19, which had fixed the upper age limited, August 27, 2018, which had denied admission to students who had failed twice, February 27, 2019 and March 29, 2013, which had asked for the residence proof during the admission process -- of Directorate of Education (DoE).

A division bench headed by Chief Justice Rajendra Menon, while posting the matter for hearing to July 8, sought a reply from the Delhi government over the validity of the circulars. The bench sought reply on the grounds that the circulars are "unconstitutional, violative of the fundamental right to education, arbitrary, discriminatory, barbaric, against the public interest, as opposed to public policy and against the best interest of the child principle."

The bench also comprising Justice Anup Jairam Bambani asked the government to file a response within 4 weeks.

Agarwal, appearing on the behalf of Social Jurist, an NGO run by him, submitted that the Delhi government status report on denial of admission to 130 students stated that in cases of 5 students, admission was denied for non-production of residence proof of Delhi.

"Thousands of students living in Delhi seeking admission do not have any proof of residence and therefore the denial of admission on the ground of non-production of proof of residence of Delhi is totally unconstitutional. The High Court then said that parents of such students can submit an affidavit declaring that they are residing in Delhi," Agarwal stated in the petition.