No expulsion in schools over unpaid fees: Kolkata HC

Amid the outbreak of the COVID-19 first wave, a division bench headed by Justice Sanjib Banerjee in October 2020 passed an order directing private schools to give a 20 per cent discount on tuition fees and waive the charges on the services that were no longer available because of the pandemic.

Schools cannot rusticate students or disallow them to sit in the examination due to unpaid fees, Kolkata High Court on October 1 issued an order against 135 private schools of the state. However, the parents were asked by the division bench of Justice IP Mukerji and Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya to clear the school fees by October 25. Meanwhile, lawyers of the guardians also submitted before the bench that the schools were demanding more money in fees despite the High Court’s order issued in this regard last October.

Amid the outbreak of the COVID-19 first wave, a division bench headed by Justice Sanjib Banerjee in October 2020 passed an order directing private schools to give a 20 per cent discount on tuition fees and waive the charges on the services that were no longer available because of the pandemic. The court on Friday asked the schools to deposit the fees in two accounts — ‘disputed’ and ‘undisputed’, according to The Telegraph.

The additional charges being levied this year will go to the ‘disputed’ account and the rest to the ‘undisputed’ account, the court said. The HC also allowed schools to spend money from the “undisputed” account. However, schools cannot use the money in the ‘disputed’ account till further orders.

The next hearing will take place on December 3, when the schools have to submit the occupation of each parent and the amount deposited in the ‘disputed’ account.

According to the media source, a lawyer who was present in the court said, people, are facing problems while receiving salaries. So the bench asked the schools to prepare two lists based on the occupational status of the guardians. One list will have names of the guardians in government service and the other will have names of those who are in the private sector or run their own businesses,” said a lawyer who was present in the court.

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