Court dismisses DAV appeal

CUTTACK: The Orissa high court on Tuesday dismissed the writ appeal filed by DAV school management, challenging the verdict of the high court that all private schools in the state, including English medium schools, be brought under the Orissa Education Act and that they should abide by the provisions of Free and Compulsory Education Act of 2009.
A single-judge bench of Justice M M Das in June had directed that all the private schools in the state, including English medium schools, are under the purview of Orissa Education Act, hence they cannot hike school fees at will. The high court had also directed the state to form a high-level committee under the head of director, School and Mass Education, to look into the fee structure of all private schools.
DAV school management had filed a writ appeal in the high court in August, challenging the verdict. On Tuesday the high court comprising Chief Justice V Gopala Gowda and Justice B N Mohapatra, dismissed the writ appeal and upheld the judgement of the single bench judge.
"The division bench of high court today dismissed the writ appeal of the DAV school management and has clearly stated that they come under the purview of state government and cannot hike the fees at their own wish in an arbitrary manner," said Aptakam Mishra, counsel of a parent's association.
In 2009-10, the school slapped a 60% school fee hike. It was challenged in the HC by Parents' Association of the schools. The petitioners had cited that the fee hike was arbitrary and illegal