New Delhi, February 9 The Delhi High Court on Monday extended the deadline set by the Delhi government, initially February 10, to February 20 for private schools to form the school-level fee regulation committee (SLFRC).
A bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia issued notice to the Delhi government in response to pleas filed by several school associations challenging the February 1 notification, which mandated the formation of the committee within 10 days, and stated that no prejudice would be caused if the formation of the committee was deferred.
"We find that if the GNCTD does not insist on the formation of the SLFRC, no prejudice is going to be caused to either side or to the timeline (for fixing fees for the 2026-2027 academic session)," the bench said.
"Accordingly, we direct that until the next date of listing of the application for stay, i.e., February 20, those schools that have not constituted the SLFRC shall not be compelled to form it," it directed.
On February 1, the Delhi government issued a gazette notification to "smooth" the implementation of the Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Act, following questions raised by the Supreme Court regarding its new fee fixation law.
According to the notification, every school was directed to form an SLFRC within 10 days of the order's publication.
The gazette notification further stated that school managements must submit details of the proposed fee structure for the next three-year academic block, starting from 2026-27, within 14 days of forming the SLFRC, after which the committee will proceed to fix the fees according to the provisions of the Act.
Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, appearing for the Delhi government, said that extending the deadline beyond February 10 would hamper the timeline to determine school fees by March 27 for the upcoming academic year.
He said that after the committee is formed by February 10, the school management has to share the details of the proposed fees for the next three academic sessions starting from 2026-2027 by February 25, and the appellate committee is to be constituted by March 3.
Raju also said that on January 8, while dealing with petitions challenging the new fee regulation law, the deadline was extended until January 20, and no further extension could be sought now.
The bench, however, observed that the earlier extension was before the February 1 notification and the "circumstances have changed".
The court was hearing petitions filed by the Forum of Minority Schools and the Forum for Promotion of Quality Education For All. It also heard a plea by the Action Committee of Unaided Recognised Private Schools challenging the February 1 notification.
In its petition, the Forum of Minority Schools said that under the Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Act, 2025, the SLFRC has to be constituted on or before July 15 of each academic year.
The petition said that to advance the deadline of July 15, a legislative amendment to the enactment was required, and therefore, the notification was arbitrary and lacked legal authority.
Under the new framework, every private school has to form an SLFRC. This committee will include representatives from the school management, the principal, three teachers, five parents, and one nominee from the Department of Education (DoE). Members would be selected through a lottery system in the presence of observers to maintain transparency.
Petitions by several private schools challenging the new fees regulation law are also pending in the high court.