Student denied admission in govt school due to age, moves Delhi High Court

New Delhi (ILNS): A petition has been filed in the Delhi High Court by a student who has been refused admission to Class XI of Government Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya, allegedly on the ground that he exceeded the age limit.

The plea has sought a direction to the respondents to grant admission to the student in any respondent government school. The plea has further sought a direction to declare the notice levying age limit by the Delhi Government as arbitrary, discriminatory, illegal, and violative of Articles 14, 21 and 21A of the Constitution of India and for being in conflict with the provisions of the Delhi School Education Act, 1973.

The petitioner has submitted that “the petitioner has passed Class X from a private school in the academic year 2019-20 and is seeking admission in Class XI as part of a continuous process of education and therefore the respondent school by refusing him admission taking shelter under the impugned Circular is depriving the petitioner of his right to continue his education.”

The plea alleges that the said circular is blatantly violative of Article 21 of the Constitution of India. The petitioner further submitted that “the respondent Government in an attempt to wash its hands off the mandate to provide education to each and every child and enable the continuation and completion thereof, has extended Patrachar Vidyalayas option to students being denied admission based on the impugned Circular.”

It has also been submitted that “Patrachar Vidyalayas is a departure from mainstream schooling providing diluted tuition and availment thereof would inevitably be irreversible. Moreover, students who study diluted subjects would not only be deprived of an opportunity to employ their intellect to full potential but also would in the future find it difficult to pursue professions that they could have had they been admitted to mainstream schools.”

-ILNS