The Delhi High Court has asked the Delhi government to clear the backlog of unfilled EWS seats in private schools in the next five years. The HC also said that the state has to step in to aid EWS category students for schools which have not complied with the admission requirements.
A bench of Justices Najmi Waziri and Vikas Mahajan said the state shall ensure 25 percent seats in the EWS category be filled up on the basis of declared sanctioned strength at the entry level in pre-school, nursery, pre-primary, KG and class one, irrespective of the actual number of students admitted in the general category.
“In instances where schools have not complied with the strict requirements of admission of EWS category students, the state has to step-in to the aid of the latter and exercise its duty as a welfare state. No beneficiary of government land can overlook or avoid its obligation under the allotment,” the bench said.
“In the circumstances, every endeavour shall be made by the state to ensure that the backlog of unfilled seats in private schools, both on private and government lands, is filled up in the next five years in a phased manner, that is, 20 percent of the vacancies each year, in addition to the mandated annual 25 per cent intake,” it said.
Delhi government’s standing counsel Santosh Kumar Tripathi and advocate Arun Tanwar submitted that 132 private schools have prima facie been found to be violating the government’s direction on admission of students in the EWS category and notices have been issued to them.
The court asked the Delhi government to file a compliance affidavit before the next date and listed the matter for further proceedings on August 4.
With inputs from PTI.
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