HC bench allows The Bishop's School to go ahead with 75% admissions.
The Bombay High Court has issued an interim order directing The Bishop’s School to reserve 25 per cent of seats for the students from the weaker and disadvantaged sections under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009 (RTE) and to continue with admissions for the remaining 75 per cent seats.
The order was passed on Friday by a bench of the vacation court comprising Justices Ranjit More and Mridula Bhatkar. It allowed the school to go ahead with 75% of its admissions on a ‘first come first serve’ basis.
The matter will come up for hearing again on June 11.
The school had moved the high court after the zilla parishad imposed a blanket ban on the admissions to the school. The school in its petition said that since it is an unaided minority institution, it does not fall under the ambit of RTE. Similarly, the school’s lawyer R A Dada claimed that the admissions are already done and the fee has been paid by the parents.
However, the respondent disputing the claim of the school said that the school receives concession from the government in the form of land and concession in property taxes.
PP Kakade and Sanjeev Rairkar, who represented the respondents and Nilesh Borate, a state government and Congress leader said, “The Camp branch of the school is constructed on a land given by the Central government on a lease at a concessional rate. Similarly, the school is drawing concession in its property tax for its campus at Kalyaninagar and Undri.”
The bench has also allowed the parents of the children who have not received admission in any of the three campuses of the school to file intervention applications to become a party to the petition at their will.
PMC to meet principals
Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) education board after receiving numerous complaints about private, unaided schools not responding to 25% reservation under RTE has called for a meeting of the principals of such schools on May 22. The meeting will be held at 11 am at PMC, Rajeev Gandhi e-learning school, Sahakarnagar. Deputy director of education Suman Shinde will give instructions to the schools over admission under 25% reserved quota. Similarly, ZP district education officer Sunil Kurhade, deputy education officer Piraji Patil, Dilip Desai will be present.
Onus on school
As per a new government resolution (GR) issued on 15/3/2013 regarding 25% reservation, it is the responsibility of the schools to bring the students who are from weaker and disadvantage sections and out of school back to the school. The schools should check into one -three km vicinity of the school premises. They were also instructed to advertise, conduct a door to door survey etc.
Timetable
New timetable for admissions under 25%.
Till June 5: Form distribution and acceptance — responsibility of school principals which would be controlled by regional assistant deputy education officer.
By June 10: scrutiny of the forms and informing the parents.
From June 11 onwards: actual admissions.
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