Kendriya Vidhyalaya Sangathan (KVS) in Delhi can proceed with admissions in Grade I this academic year with the fresh minimum age criteria of six years. The Supreme Court has dismissed petitions that challenged the increase in the minimum age criteria from five to six years.
The apex court was hearing a special leave petition filed against the judgment of the Delhi High Court that had also upheld the minimum age criteria that was updated from the academic year 2022-23.
The Supreme Court Bench, consisting of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and MM Sundresh said that they were in complete agreement with the Delhi High Court's decision to dismiss the petitions requesting a reversal of the update in the minimum age criteria.
The KVS had said that the changes were in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) and did not violate the Right to Education (RTE) Act, as claimed by the petitioners. In an affidavit submitted to the High Court, KVS said that the RTE sets the minimum age for entry into Class I at six years or more, reported LiveLaw.
Earlier this month, Justice Rekha Palli of the Delhi High Court, who first heard the petitions, said that the minimum age criteria is in accordance with the National Education Policy, which has been implemented in 21 states. Since KVS is placed in a separate category by the RTE Act and manages schools across the country, there must be uniformity in the rules for admission. The judge had also said that it wasn't for the courts to interfere when experts had already taken a stand on the matter.
