Delhi High Court Extends Deadline for School Fee Committees, Cautions Against Coercion

The Delhi High Court has extended the deadline for private schools to form School Level Fee Regulation Committees until February 20, following petitions by school associations. The court directed no coercive measures, pending further hearing on challenges against a government notification as exceeding statutory authority and bypassing legislative procedures.

The Delhi High Court on Monday extended the deadline for forming School Level Fee Regulation Committees (SLFRCs) in private schools from February 10 to February 20. This extension follows petitions from school associations challenging the Delhi government's move to establish these committees on an accelerated deadline.

A bench led by Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia issued a notice to the Government of NCT of Delhi regarding the petitions, which claim that the February 1 notification oversteps statutory authority and seeks to quash it. The court highlighted that deferring the SLFRC formation would not harm the timeline for fee setting for the 2026-2027 academic year.

The petitioners argue that the directive to expedite SLFRC formation violates the Delhi School Education Act, 2025, stating that timeline changes require legislative amendments. Minority educational institutions also oppose the notification, claiming it infringes on their administrative autonomy. The court will hear further arguments on February 20, avoiding coercive actions until then.