The Delhi High Court has directed the Directorate of Education (DoE) to facilitate the admission of a seven-year-old child under the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category for the 2026-27 academic session.
Justice Jasmeet Singh directed the DoE and the concerned school to consider the child's admission in the school allotted to him. If admission cannot be facilitated there, the authorities have been directed to provide him a seat in another recognised school within a five-kilometre radius of his residence.
The case concerns Master Viraj Solanki, who had applied for admission to Class I under the EWS/Disadvantaged Group (DG) category through the DoE's online admission process.
According to the petition, Solanki's name did not appear in the first computerised draw conducted on April 6, 2026. He was subsequently allotted a seat in the second list released on July 10 at Naveen Bharti Preparatory School.
The petitioner's family, however, claimed that they did not receive information about the allotment within the prescribed period and therefore could not complete the admission process.
The family said they had previously received SMS notifications from the DoE during the admission process and expected to receive a similar notification regarding the school allotment. The allotment was discovered later when the child's father checked the DoE portal in September.
The petition sought directions to facilitate the child's admission for the ongoing academic session.
The child's application was made under Section 12(1)(c) of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009. The provision requires specified private unaided schools to reserve at least 25 per cent of entry-level seats for children belonging to weaker sections and disadvantaged groups.
The Delhi High Court, while considering the petition, directed the authorities to ensure that the child is able to secure admission during the current academic session.
If the originally allotted school is unable to accommodate him, the DoE has been directed to facilitate admission in another recognised school within five kilometres of his residence.
The court's order comes amid continuing litigation over the implementation of EWS admissions in Delhi, particularly in cases where children selected through the DoE's computerised allotment process encounter difficulties in completing admission.
The Delhi government's EWS/DG admission process involves an online application followed by a computerised draw for eligible applicants. The DoE publishes school allotments and requires selected candidates to complete the subsequent admission and document-verification process.
In this case, the dispute arose after the family said it was not informed of the allotment within the required period.
The High Court's direction allows the child to secure admission for the 2026-27 academic session, either at the school originally allotted or at another recognised school within the five-kilometre radius specified in the order.
