HC asks city-based school to readmit students

The High Court of Karnataka on Tuesday directed a city-based school, which denied admissions to students without giving any reasons, to readmit them.

Kiran Pre-Primary and High School in Hegganahalli in Peenya had refused to admit 18 students studying in different classes. Following this, parents of these students approached the high court.

Justice S Sujatha, who heard the case, directed the school to admit the students and also ordered notice to the school and District Education Regulating Authority (DERA).

Advocate Sumana Hegde, representing the students, said the school denied admissions to 18 students as they had earlier questioned the hike in school fees and had approached the court. The single bench of the high court, hearing their plea, had passed certain directions to the education department on how to approve the school fee structure.

However, Kiran school did not follow the court’s direction and instead denied admissions to students. The school also demanded Rs 37,952 from students excluding the fees for uniform and books. The petitioners contended that they were not in a position to pay the fees and are in a fix as the school had already reopened.

The high court, on a petition challenging the hike in school fees, instructed the Director of Public Instruction (DPI) and the Deputy Director of Public Instruction (DDPI) to collect the audit report of private schools by January 15 from the next academic year. The court also directed DPI and DDPI to approve by February 2015 the fee structure that would be collected for the next academic year.