Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Apr 20: Jammu and Kashmir High Court today directed the Private Educational Institutions of Kashmir valley not to charge tuition and bus fee from the students for the month of September and October last year and asked them to refrain from any fee hike.
The Division Bench of High Court comprising Justice MH Attar and Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey directed the private schools of Kashmir valley against any fee hike and charging tuition and bus fee for the months of September and October last year after amicus to the PIL Advocate G A Lone alleged that despite court orders some schools are not only disobeying the court order but are compelling the parents of the students to pay the fee for September and October 2014.
“It is made clear that the direction restraining the private educational institutions from taking tuition fee and bus fee for the months of September and October, 2014 is applicable to all the Private Educational Institutions”, court directed.
Advocate Lone submitted before the court that the private schools are also increasing the tuition fee and asking them for the fee of September and October. He also produced a fee book of a student of Legends School Srinagar which demonstrates that school fee is charged by the schools for those two months despite court directions. He also submitted that private schools are going to increase the tuition fee. “Directions for not increasing the tuition fee is also applicable to these institutors and they shall comply with the same”, court directed after these submissions from amicus.
Court in order to comply these directions sought undertakings from the private schools indicating therein that tuition fee for two months have not been charged, in case charged then it will be adjusted.
“All these Private Educational Institutions shall file undertaking before the Registrar Judicial within two weeks time”, directed the court. Court said that these institutions shall be at liberty to seek modification of these directions in case they prove that their claims with regard to running of their institutions during flood period were functional.
“The educational institutions would be at liberty to seek vacations of orders passed by the court from time to time, and in order to justify their claims, they shall give detailed information supported with evidence material”, court said.
Advocate Lone also requested before the court for constitution of committee of experts in respect of the allegations that parents are being fleeced in the name of purchase of books, stationery and issuance of identity cards. He has given the names of some persons for constitution of unbiased committee of experts for ending this menace.
‘Names be provided to Registrar Judicial of this court within week’s time. Registrar Judicial thereafter will contact all those persons and seek their consent. Mr. Lone at this stage give name of Dr. Farooq Ahmad (Controller J&K BOPEE) who is willing to be a member of the expert committee as per the information of advocate Lone”, court said.
Meanwhile, court directed Chief Secretary to file a report before the court indicating therein as to how many libraries as on date are functional in the State.
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel