The Delhi High Court on Thursday, June 5, sharply criticised Delhi Public School (DPS), Dwarka, for deploying "bouncers" to prevent students from entering the campus due to a dispute over fees.
Justice Sachin Datta said such acts amounted to public shaming and intimidation, which could cause mental harassment and damage the psychological well-being and self-worth of a child, according to the report by The New Indian Express.
"This court is also constrained to express its dismay at the alleged conduct of the petitioner school in engaging 'bouncers' to physically block entry of certain students into the school premises. Such a reprehensible practice has no place in an institute of learning. It reflects not only disregard to the dignity of a child but also fundamental misunderstanding of a school's role in the society," the court stated.
The judge added that the use of such force created a "climate of fear, humiliation and exclusion", one that went entirely against the fundamental ethos of a school.
The order came in response to a plea filed by parents after over 30 students were removed from the school rolls on May 9. The action prompted the parents to approach the high court in an already pending petition against the school.
However, by the time of the court's ruling, the school's legal team informed the judge that the earlier order debarring 31 students had been withdrawn and the affected students had been reinstated.
As a result, the court noted that the issue raised in the parents' plea had become a "moot" point. Still, it laid down clear directions should the school seek to take similar action in future under Rule 35 of the Delhi School Education Rules, 1973.
"However, it is clarified that if the school seeks to take any action in future by taking recourse to Rule 35 of the Delhi School Education Rules, 1973, then the school will (i) issue a prior communication specifically putting the concerned students and/ or their parents/ guardians to notice as to the date on which the students are proposed to be struck off the rolls; (ii) give a reasonable opportunity to showcause against such action," the order said.
The court also stressed that while schools had the right to collect appropriate fees to cover infrastructure, staff salaries and to maintain a conducive learning environment, educational institutions could not be treated like regular commercial entities.
Justice Datta remarked that the "driving force and character of a school, particularly a school such as the petitioner (DPS, Dwarka), run by a pre-eminent society, was rooted not in profit maximisation but in public welfare, nation building and the holistic development of children."
He underlined that a school's foremost purpose should be to provide education and instil values, not to function like a business.
The court reminded the parents that they were bound to comply with previous court directions on fee payments. On May 16, a coordinate bench had ordered parents to pay 50 per cent of the increased fees for the academic year 2025-26 so their children could continue their studies. The bench had also clarified that the rebate was only on the hiked component, while the base fee was to be paid in full.
During the hearings, the school denied any allegations of profiteering. Its counsel claimed the institution was operating at a loss, with a deficit of Rs 31 crore accumulated over the past ten years. It also argued that it had issued due notices to the parents before taking disciplinary action, according to the report by The New Indian Express.
