Delhi: Parents challenge a private school's decision to expel 32 students over fee dispute

New Delhi [India], May 15 (ANI): Parents of 32 students, allegedly expelled by Delhi Public School, Dwarka, over a fee hike dispute, have approached the Delhi High Court seeking their children's reinstatement. In their plea, they claim the school repeatedly ignored written reminders and complaints to the Directorate of Education (DoE), deliberately refraining from debiting cheques submitted for the approved fees while refusing to accept payments for subsequent months.
The parents allege that the school has arbitrarily and coercively removed 32 minor students from its rolls without prior notice or reasonable justification, violating both the Court's order and the fundamental principles of natural justice.
Many of these students are currently in Class X, having already completed the pre-registration process for their board examinations while in Class IX. The timing of their expulsion, in the middle of an academic year, is particularly damaging, jeopardizing their education and emotional well-being.
Parents alleged that the children were ill-treated and were threatened by the bouncers, and then were kept in a bus for two hours, and then finally dropped off at home. Plea further stated that on 14.05.2025, more bouncers, including lady bouncers, were deployed, and it is shocking that neither the police officials nor any other person in the administration is willing to help, as they say that the matter is sub-judice.
The parents filed their plea in response to the school's challenge against a National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) directive issued on July 18, 2024. The commission had instructed the police to lodge an FIR against the school, citing complaints of student expulsions, the public disclosure of their names on the school's website, and an incident where a female student was allegedly denied assistance during menstruation. The Delhi High Court later stayed on this order on July 30.
Last month, the Delhi High Court strongly criticised this school for allegedly confining students in the library and preventing them from attending classes due to unpaid fees. The court condemned the school's actions as "shabby and inhuman," stating that it appeared to operate more like a "money-making machine" than an educational institution. Describing the treatment of students as a form of "torture," the judge indicated that the principal could potentially face criminal prosecution. (ANI)