The Delhi High Court issued a series of directives on Thursday regarding the admission process for students under the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) and Disadvantaged Group (DG) quota in private schools across Delhi.

Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma directed the schools to appoint a dedicated nodal officer to oversee the admission process for students under the EWS/DG category.

“This officer shall serve as the primary point of contact for parents and guardians, ensuring that they receive clear guidance and assistance throughout the admission process. Information about the Nodal Officer, including their contact details and office hours, must be prominently displayed at the school's entrance and on the school's official website,” the Court said.

The Court instructed the authorities to ensure that all circulars, notices, and instructions related to EWS/DG category admissions are provided in both English and Hindi. Additionally, it directed schools to establish a clear schedule, specifying the date and time each student is required to report for admission.

"This Court believes that the dreams of those who are financially weaker and labelled as poor by society should not be presumed to be lesser in their capacity or capability. Likewise, those who are not financially poor are not different in their aspirations. All children, regardless of their economic background, may share the same dreams they wish to pursue."

In a detailed judgment, the Court also directed the Delhi government's Department of Education (DoE) to merge the School Identification Numbers of the junior and senior wings run by the same educational societies. Currently, students who secure admission under the EWS quota into a school's junior wing must undergo the admission process again for the senior wing, even if both wings are managed by the same society.

Justice Sharma noted that assigning separate School IDs to the junior and senior wings of the same school lacks justification, particularly when both are operated by the same entity. Consequently, the Court ordered the Department of Education to complete the merger of the school IDs within eight weeks.

These directives were issued in response to a plea filed by parents of EWS/DG category students who were denied admission to the senior wing of Holy Innocents Public School.

The students had been admitted to the school's junior wing under the EWS/DG quota but were refused entry to the senior wing, with the school arguing that the junior and senior wings are distinct entities and that the DoE's allotment for the junior wing does not apply to the senior wing. The school agreed to allow the petitioners to continue their education if the junior and senior wings were merged.

Advocates Aayush Agarwala, Rahul Bajaj, Amar Jain, Aditi Gupta, Anuj P. Agarwala, Kunj Mehra, Mallika Luthra, Nilesh Kumar, Prakash Jha, Raghavendra Mohan Bajaj, Shagun Agarwal, Sajal Awasthi, Arkaneil Bhaumik, Rupam Jha, Adhishwar Suri, Suparna Jain, Ibansara Syiemlieh, and Dushyant Kaul represented the petitioners.

The Delhi government was represented by its Standing Counsel Santosh Kumar Tripathi, along with Advocates Divyam Nandrajog and Utkarsh Singh.

Advocates Sanjay Sehgal and Shivesh Sehgal appeared for the school.

Case Title: Gunjan as Guardian of Pihu v Govt of NCT of Delhi & Anr