The Delhi government has decided against implementing the fee regulation law for private schools this year, it told the Supreme Court on Monday. The move came after the court asked the Directorate of Education (DoE) to reconsider its decision on implementing the Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Act, 2025.
Private schools moved the court seeking a stay on the implementation of the law from the academic year 2025-26.
Additional solicitor-general (AGG) SV Raju, appearing for the Delhi government, presented a February 1 (Sunday) gazette notification of an order to a bench of justices PS Narasimha and Alok Aradhe, saying the schools shall not charge any fees over and above what has been charged from April 1, 2025, for the academic year 2025-26.
“Any exorbitant fee charged by schools for the academic year 2025-26 shall be regulated and dealt with in accordance with law, subject to the final outcome of the proceedings challenging the vires of the Act and the Rules presently pending before the High Court of Delhi and the Supreme Court,” said the order.
The decision brought relief to private schools, which have been flagging challenges in implementing the new regime mid-session.
The Delhi government, meanwhile, maintained that the law itself remained intact and would be implemented after addressing procedural hurdles flagged by the courts.
The bench considered the order and observed that its only concern was the “hurry” with which the law was sought to be implemented from the current academic year.
“In view of the clarification, no further order is required to be passed,” said the bench as it closed the appeals of schools.
On January 19, the Supreme Court observed that implementing the law for the present academic session would be “unviable”. Schools appealed against an interim order of the high court on January 9, refusing to stay the law and the December 24 circular mandating its implementation. The schools were mandated to set up fee regulation committees by January 2026, instead of the July 15 deadline under the law.
Reacting to the development, school managements described the decision as a pragmatic pause rather than a rollback.
Alka Kapur, principal of Modern Public School, said the deferral would allow space for a detailed examination of the law. “This decision represents a positive development, affording ample time for a thorough analysis of the proposed provisions and an assessment of their potential implications...This deferral will enable all stakeholders to participate constructively,” she said.
Parents’ groups, while welcoming the clarity on the law’s timeline, said the larger issue of unchecked hikes remained.
Aprajita Gautam, president of the Delhi Parents’ Association, said the decision had removed immediate uncertainty but stressed the need for retrospective scrutiny. “We urge the government to initiate a financial audit of schools on DDA land. The approved and the hiked fee structure for 2024-25 and 2025-26 should be placed in the public domain,” she said.
A February 1 gazette notification titled the “Delhi School Education (Removal of Difficulties) Order, 2026” acknowledged that procedural difficulties had arisen in implementing the Act for 2025-26, noting that the July 15 deadline for forming School Level Fee Regulation Committee (SLFRC) could not be met as the law was notified only on December 10, 2025.
Despite this, parents said fee-related concerns persisted and also raised concerns about the manner in which fee regulation committees were being formed. A parent of a Class 7 student at ITL Public School said that parent participation in the committee was limited. “There has been no transparency in the process. Parents who want to be actively involved are being discouraged,” the parent said.
The Delhi government defended its approach, asserting that the pause sought by the court did not dilute the intent of the legislation. Education minister Ashish Sood said, “It has become clear that due to the chief minister’s vision, no school in Delhi will be able to make decisions about fees without forming fee regulation committees,” he said.
Parents such as Moushumi Gupta, whose child studies at Modern School, Barakhamba Road, said clarity on timelines was only the first step. “Audits must be conducted, and fee hikes from the last two academic sessions should be made public,” she said.
