Private school fee law to apply from 2026-27 session, Delhi govt tells SC

The Delhi government informed the Supreme Court that the law to regulate private school fees will come into force from the 2026-27 session, after the court flagged issues with applying it mid-year

The Delhi government on Monday told the Supreme Court that the law regulating private school fees will be implemented from the 2026-27 academic session, and not in the current session, LiveLaw reported.

 

The submission came after the top court earlier granted the Chief Minister Rekha Gupta-led government one more week to decide whether the law should be deferred for the 2025-26 academic year, which ends in March.

 

The court was hearing a batch of petitions filed by private school associations, which have challenged the Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Act, 2025, before the Delhi High Court.

 

 

During a hearing on January 19, the apex court had asked the Delhi government to consider postponing the enforcement of the private school fee regulation law till April 2026. The court observed that implementing the law in the ongoing academic session would be “unviable”, LiveLaw reported.

 

The law was passed in December last year to regulate fee structures in private schools across Delhi.

 

In a separate circular issued in December 2025, the Delhi government had advanced the implementation of the law to the 2025-26 academic session. This move was opposed by private schools, which argued that they needed more time to comply with the new rules.

 

Earlier, on January 8, the Delhi High Court refused to stay a government notification directing private schools to form fee regulation committees. However, it extended the deadline for setting up these committees from January 10 to January 20. The court also extended the last date for school managements to submit their proposed fee structure to the committees from January 25 to February 5. 

 

What the Act states

 

The Delhi government has recently notified the Act, which clearly defines permissible fee components, accounting norms and limits on additional charges. The law also bans capitation fees and prohibits schools from collecting any amount beyond what is approved under the prescribed process.