The Delhi High Court has reinstated the enrollment of certain students in a private school, reversing their removal from the school rolls due to their parents' refusal to pay increased fees.

Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma, in an order issued on July 9, directed parents to deposit 50 percent of the increased school fees for the current academic year.

The directive was made in response to a petition filed by parents whose children were removed from the rolls of Delhi Public School in Dwarka due to non-payment of the revised fees. The parents argued that the fee hike had not been approved by the Directorate of Education (DoE).

The court has issued notices to both the DoE and the school, requiring them to submit their responses within a two-week period.

"In the interregnum, it is directed that without prejudice to the rights and contentions of the respective parties and subject to the petitioners depositing 50 percent of the hiked school fee only for the academic year 2024-25, the names of the wards of the petitioners be restored on the rolls of the school in their respective classes, subject to the final outcome of the present writ petition.

"The present order is being passed keeping in view the future and saving the academic year of the petitioners herein," the court said.

The petitioner-parents have alleged that the school administration expelled over 20 students recently for failing to pay unapproved hiked fees. Their petition not only seeks immediate reinstatement of their children but also demands that the school be instructed to charge only the "approved" fee for the academic year. They argue that the school must adhere strictly to a previous High Court ruling stating that no fees beyond those approved by the Directorate of Education (DoE) can be levied on parents.