Delhi HC Stays 7 CIC Directions to Schools

Source : Indlaw

The Delhi High Court has stayed till April 7, the Central Information Commission's order to the city government directing the private schools to disclose the admission criteria followed by them for children of economically weaker section (EWS) for the last three years.

Justice S Muralidhar recently stayed the CIC's order dated December 12, 2010, which directed the schools to put all information regarding the admission criteria as well as financial records pertaining to the admissions of EWS students on their respective websites. 

The Court also stayed the CIC order to put on the government website details about the annual returns placed on record by the schools. 

The directions were passed by the court while hearing an appeal filed by association of city's private schools, The Delhi State Public School Management Association. 

The schools contended that the Income Tax return details were confidential documents and could not be made public. 

After an appeal was filed under the RTI Act asking the schools to disclose the number of seats available for EWS, the CIC had directed the Delhi Government to ensure that all schools put up a display board carrying information about available seats for such students and also to put it on their website. 

The CIC directed that the display boards should be in English as well as Hindi and display total number of seats in all classes in a school, number of seats under EWS quota, total applications received and date by which the admissions would be given. 

The CIC also directed the state government to put on its website annual returns filed by private, unaided schools till date along with the list of schools which have defaulted in filing returns before December 31, 2010.