Close X
Saturday, March 1, 2025
ADVT 
India

80 private schools to refund excess fees to parents: Delhi HC panel

Darpan News Desk IANS, 09 May, 2014 11:54 AM
    A panel set up by the Delhi High Court Friday recommended that 80 private schools have to refund the excess fees they charged in 2009 but did not pay salaries to their staff as per the Sixth Pay Commission's recommendations.
     
    A three-member committee headed by Rajasthan High Court's former chief justice Anil Dev Singh, set up in 2011, examined the financial records of 150 schools on a random basis out of total 1,172 schools and submitted its fifth interim report before the court. 
     
    With this report, the committee has so far examined the financial records of 755 private schools in the city. 
     
    Taking into note the fifth interim report of the committee, a division bench of Justice B.D. Ahmed and Justice Sidharth Mridul asked the Delhi government to look if the unaided private schools have implemented recommendations of the panel, which had asked them to return the "excess amount" to parents with nine percent interest.
     
    The bench asked counsel of Delhi government to check the status of those school who had been asked to pay back excess amount to parents and posted the matter for Aug 1.
     
    Advocate Ashok Aggarwal, appearing for the NGO Social Jurists which filed the case, told the bench that the more than 350 schools not implementing the recommendations of the committee to pay back the excess fee and also hiked the fee.
     
    In the report, the committee said that many schools "unjustly" increased fees and recommended that all of them refund the same with 9 percent interest to the parents. 
     
    According to the report, the committee has said that 80 out of 150 schools found the fee hike to be "unjustified, either partially or fully", and hence recommended the refund of excess fee with interest.
     
    Out of 150 schools, 65 schools' records were found "unreliable" and committee recommended "special inspection" in addition to refund of fee. 
     
    After the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission, the schools increased the fees, citing additional financial burden due to increased salaries of teachers.
     
    In August 2011, the court gave directions for setting up a three-member committee to audit the accounts of each of the schools to ascertain if the fee hike by them was required.
     
    This order came on a petition filed by Social Jurists, through advocate Agarwal, which alleged that schools had hiked the fees "unreasonably" but they failed to pay the salaries of the teaching and non-teaching staff as per the pay panel recommendations.

    MORE India ARTICLES

    Retrial begins in Salman Khan hit-and-run case

    Retrial begins in Salman Khan hit-and-run case
    A sessions court Monday began the retrial in the 2002 hit-and-run case involving Bollywood actor Salman Khan, with the partial deposition of witnesses.

    Retrial begins in Salman Khan hit-and-run case

    Only Adani surname can ensure prosperity in Gujarat: Rahul

    Only Adani surname can ensure prosperity in Gujarat: Rahul
    People in Gujarat can get land at low prices and make profits of thousands of crores if they have the Adani surname, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi said Monday.

    Only Adani surname can ensure prosperity in Gujarat: Rahul

    Ramdev booked in Rajasthan, faces court case in Bihar

    Ramdev booked in Rajasthan, faces court case in Bihar
    Troubles seem to be mounting for Baba Ramdev for his remarks on Dalits and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with the yoga guru being booked in Rajasthan and a court case filed against him in Bihar.

    Ramdev booked in Rajasthan, faces court case in Bihar

    BJP alleges graft in Vadra deals, Priyanka Gandhi hits back

    BJP alleges graft in Vadra deals, Priyanka Gandhi hits back
    The verbal spat between the Congress and the BJP grew more strident Sunday with the BJP's allegations of "corruption under patronage" in land deals of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra evoked a spirited response from his wife Priyanka Gandhi, who accused the party of "running like bewildered rats".

    BJP alleges graft in Vadra deals, Priyanka Gandhi hits back

    Varanasi battle to save the country: Arvind Kejriwal

    Varanasi battle to save the country: Arvind Kejriwal
    AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal said that his fight against BJP prime ministerial nominee Narendra Modi is not a "battle of prestige" but one to save the country from corrupt forces.

    Varanasi battle to save the country: Arvind Kejriwal

    For Rahul, poverty is a matter of fun: Modi

    For Rahul, poverty is a matter of fun: Modi
    Ridiculing Rahul Gandhi, BJP's prime ministerial nominee Narendra Modi Sunday said that for the Congress vice president, poverty was a "matter of fun" as he had never experienced any such thing in his life.

    For Rahul, poverty is a matter of fun: Modi