Delhi Public School (DPS), Dwarka, is facing fresh legal and political heat after allegedly expelling 34 students over a fee payment dispute, in violation of a Delhi High Court directive barring coercive action against students.
The parents of 32 of the affected students have now approached the court, accusing the school of acting in contempt of its earlier order, according to a Bar & Bench report.
According to the parents, the school struck off the names from its rolls on May 9 and emailed the decision at 4.08 pm — just before a long weekend when Classes 10 to 12 were on holiday. On May 13, the children were allegedly denied entry into the school and were instead kept in a bus for nearly two hours before being sent home.
"That it is a matter of record that... the petitioner school by stroke of a pen removed the names of 32 children... and restrained these children to enter inside the school," Bar & Bench quoted the parents' submission to the High Court.
They further allege that bouncers were deployed to physically prevent students from entering and that the children were “ill-treated and threatened”, a move they termed “pre-planned”. Some parents also claim the school failed to deposit cheques for the fee amount already approved by authorities, effectively manufacturing defaults, as per a Hindustan Times report.
This escalation comes just weeks after the Delhi High Court, in an order dated April 16, had strongly reprimanded the school for segregating students over unpaid fees and directed it to refrain from preventing any student from attending classes.
That order came in the backdrop of a separate matter where the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) had directed Delhi Police to register an FIR against the school, based on allegations that included naming and shaming students and even denying sanitary aid to a menstruating girl due to non-payment of fees. The High Court had stayed the FIR order but expressed sharp disapproval of the school's conduct.
In the latest plea, the parents accused DPS Dwarka of ignoring multiple communications addressed to both the school and the Directorate of Education and of rejecting payments for subsequent months without explanation.
Political voices have also joined the fray. Delhi’s Leader of Opposition, Atishi posted on X. “34 students have been expelled from DPS Dwarka for non-payment of hiked school fees. Imagine the trauma these children would be going through.”
On Thursday, she wrote to Chief Minister Rekha Gupta demanding immediate and stern action against the school. “Take exemplary action against DPS Dwarka and give directions to immediately withdraw orders for expulsion of 34 students,” she wrote. She also called for a moratorium on fee hikes across all private schools for the 2025-26 academic year until a thorough audit of their accounts is conducted.
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