Admit kids to class I under RTE, high court tells school

The vacation bench of the High Court of Karnataka on Thursday directed National Hill View Public School, Bengaluru, to admit 24 children to class I under the RTE Act.

The school had refused admission to the children under the RTE Act. According to the school website, Energy Minister D K Shivakumar is the chairperson of the school.

Six-year-old Prateeksha K Gowda and 23 other children have moved the court seeking direction to the school to admit them to class I as per the allotment made by the Primary and Secondary Education department.

The petitioners said they belong to the economically weaker sections and disadvantaged groups of the society. They are aggrieved that though the government had allotted them seats under the quota of the RTE Act, the school not only refused to admit them, but also prevented their entry into the school.

The counsel representing the petitioners said the school had sought time to scrutinise the caste certificates of the petitioners and the income certificates of their parents. Hence, the children were denied admissions for now. The counsel said the school had already admitted students under the RTE Act at the LKG level. However, there is a government order to admit students at two entry levels, LKG and class I. Justice B Manohar ordered emergent notice to the school and notice to the government.