HC slams school amid fee hike row

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court pulled up Delhi Public School Dwarka for treating students over fee with “indignity” by confining them in a library and not allowing them to attend classes. Justice Sachin Datta said the school, which was treating students like “chattel”, deserved to be shut down. The court said some safeguards were required to ensure students were not “tortured” by the school, which was running the institution merely as a “money making machine”.

In dramatic scenes, several students in their school uniforms, with books and bags, were present during the court proceedings along with their parents. “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 judge said. The high court, perused an inspection report of an eight-member inspection committee led by district magistrate (southwest) that flagged several discriminatory practices against students amid the fee hike row.

Parents of such students claimed the school authorities harassed their children on the non-payment of the “unauthorised fee”. The committee’s report revealed “an alarming state of affairs” in the school, the court said..