Nashik: Case against headmistress for confining school kids over fees

A case was registered on Tuesday against the headmistress of an English medium school in Nashik for allegedly confining some students in the school premises over non-payment of fees, police said. The case was registered against Kusuma Shetty, Headmistress of St Francis Primary English Medium School located at Tidke Colony area in the city.

"Around 20 kindergarten students were told by the school authorities today that since they have not paid fees for the last six months, they would not be allowed to use the school bus after the classes. The authorities also informed the parents of the children that they will have to collect their wards from the school after paying the dues," Hemant Somwanshi, in-charge of Sarkarwada police station, said.

After learning about this, some parents approached the police with the help of an organisation and lodged a complaint against Shetty. She has been booked under IPC sections 342 (wrongful confinement), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and sections of Prohibition of Capitation Fee Act.

Some of the parents later told the media that they had been protesting against the "increase" in fees by the school management since the past six months and the matter is pending with the Shikshan Shulka Samiti, a fee regulatory authority, of the state government.