High Court relief for JBCN school kids who were given leave over non-payment of fees

In an interim relief, the Bombay high court has directed the JBCN International School in Borivli to take back 20 students who were issued leaving certificate (LC) for allegedly not paying the fees.

The parents of these children had challenged the decision in the HC, alleging the school had taken action against their wards as they had opposed its 'discriminatory' fee structure.

The HC has asked the parents to deposit fees for the last two quarters of academic year 2014-15 with the court. It has also told them not to pay fees for academic year 2015-16 for the time being.

The parents and the school are at loggerheads over fees for past several months. The parents have accused the school of giving preferential treatment to those students who have been with the institute since its inception in 2010 – known as pioneer batch.

According to the aggrieved parents, the school charges the pioneer batch a lesser fee as compared to other students. These parents have been demanding a uniform fee structure on the grounds that all students are using the same facility in the same classroom.

Advocate Avisha Kulkarni, who represented the parents, said the parent have been given two weeks to deposit the fees in HC as per the non-pioneer fee structure. The court will hear the matter next on June 9.

The school management refused to comment on the matter saying it was sub-judice.