UNAIDED SCHOOLS CAN CHARGE OVER 5P AS LATE FEE: HC

NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court has held that private unaided schools in the Capital can charge students more than five paise per day as fine for late payment of fees after the 10th of every month. Setting aside a department of education order dated February 11, 2013, which said that according to Rule 166 of Part B of Chapter XIII of the Delhi School Rules, such schools cannot charge any fine in excess of five paise per day on account of late payment of fees by the student, the court said that the rules are applicable only to aided schools, not to private unaided schools. The court also said that the state government is expected to expedite the process and make the recommendations within a period of eight weeks. On November 15, a bench of justices Vibhu Bakhru and Amit Mahajan said that “substantial autonomy is provided to the private unaided schools in matters of charging fees”.