Delhi HC extends stay on nursery admission

The Delhi High Court Monday extended its stay on the nursery admission process till March 28, asking the city government to file updated data relating to the available number of seats and candidates seeking admission after the inter-state transfer category was scrapped.

A division bench of Acting Chief Justice B.D. Ahmed and Justice Siddharth Mridul rejected the report of the education department with regard to nursery admission in the unaided recognised private schools.

The court also remarked that the government failed to anticipate and act on the number of applicants, which was far more than the number of available seats.

The bench was hearing an appeal filed by some parents challenging a March 6 single judge order asking the city government to conduct a fresh draw of lots in the nursery admission process for all seats. The judge had said all candidates with equal marks shall be considered equal by conducting a draw of lots.

The parents filing the appeal claimed that their wards were already declared selected for nursery admissions after the draw of lots and would have to repeat the process after the single judge's order.

The dispute began after Lt Governor Najeeb Jung Feb 27 issued an order scrapping five points, out of 100 points, given to inter-state transfer cases.