NO ADMISSION TO STUDENTS : HC SEEKS REPLY FROM SCHOOL IN HAZARIBAGH STUDENTS OF THE SAID SCHOOL HAD FILED APPEAL PETITIONS IN THIS REGARD

RANCHI: The Jharkhand high court (HC) on Monday asked St. Xavier’s School in Hazaribagh to clarify its stand regarding denial of admission to promoted students on disciplinary and academic grounds.

A division bench of chief justice Dr Ravi Ranjan and justice Sujit Narayan Prasad directed the school authorities to furnish a reply by February 10, the next date of hearing. The bench wanted to know as to under which policy the school had denied admission to students even after promoting them to the next class.

The matter relates to appeal petitions filed by some school students through their legal guardians.

It was alleged that about six students of different classes were promoted to next class in 2020, but the school denied admission to them on disciplinary and academic grounds. In fact, the school authorities had asked the guardians to withdraw their wards, the petitioners alleged.

In their argument, the petitioners highlighted the state government’s guidelines issued to schools during the Covid-19induced lockdown.

Senior advocate Ajit Kumar, representing the students, said, “The school can’t disallow admission to students as the same amounts to violation of right to education.”

Earlier, a single bench of the HC had dismissed the students’ plea, asking them to approach the appropriate forum (Jharkhand Education Tribunal) for redressal of their grievances.

Now, the students filed an appeal before a division bench, seeking invocation of right to education guaranteed under the Constitution.