Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, June 5: Chief Justice of J&K High Court today recues to hear the plea seeking waiver of school fee from the private as well as Government schools during the period of lockdown.
Hearing Public Interest Litigation filed by an Advocate seeking suspending and dissuading the charge of any fee from the students studying in Government as well as private schools during the lockdown period due to spread of Covid-19, the Division Bench of Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Sanjay Dhar while hearing the matter through video conferencing deferred the hearing of the matter and directed its listing on June 8.
“List this petition before a bench of which one of us (Gita Mittal) is not a member on June 8”, reads today’s orders
Court has been informed that the petition has been filed against the respondent-authorities to suspend and debar from collection of fees of any nature from the students of private and Government schools from the month of March till date due to lockdown on account of COVID-19 pandemic in accordance with the law.
It is further submitted before the court that authorities be directed to refund the fee if any already collected from the students by the schools, in accordance with Rule 10 of the J&K School education Rules, 2010.
It is submitted that due to ongoing pandemic, the schools must not charge any fee from the students as the charging of fee in these situations will distress the parents of the students for the reasons like loss of their jobs, salaries are deferred and business establishments are closed as such it is illegal for schools to collect the fee and the authorities at the helm of affairs must stop this exercise.
Giving the reference of other states like Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, the petitioner submitted that these states have either relaxed the fee or partially dissuaded schools to collect the other charges then tuition fee during this pandemic.
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