Student leaves Bluebells School after not paying fee for four years, now court orders parents to pay Rs 1.2 lakh with interest

Time of India

a day ago

A civil court in Delhi has directed a father to clear outstanding school fees amounting to over ₹1.2 lakh, with 10 percent interest, as reported by TOI. The student had attended
Bluebells School International
in south Delhi. Civil Judge Yashu Khurana said the suit filed by the school went unchallenged, as the parent,
Virender Rana
, did not appear to contest it. 'The case of the school stands duly proved by virtue of unchallenged suit and the documents placed on record,' said Advocate Atul Jain, appearing for the school.
The school told the court that the father had failed to pay fees across four academic years: 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21. The student eventually left the school in 2022 while in Class VII.
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In its plea, the school submitted that Rana 'under the shield of the
directorate of education
order dated Aug 1, 2018, regarding the fee structure of the school for the year 2017-18 and in the guise of the fact that the issue regarding the same was sub judice before Delhi High Court, long delayed the payment of the dues.'
The school also argued that it relied entirely on parental fees to function. The judge observed, 'Perusal of the record shows that the present suit was filed on Oct 16, 2024, whereas the cause of action last arose upon the plaintiff on Feb 7, 2024, when the defendant made the last payment against the outstanding amount.'
A new bill targets fee regulation in Delhi schools
On the same day that this ruling gained attention, Delhi Education Minister Ashish
Sood
presented a new
bill
in the Assembly aimed at regulating private school fees.
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The
Delhi School Education
(Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Bill, 2025, introduced during the Monsoon Session, promises to bring more oversight to how private unaided schools set and raise their fees.
'Education is not a thing to be sold. This bill aims to halt the commercialisation of education. We are bringing the bill to take action against those mafias who are selling education,' said Sood.
The draft legislation, which had received
Cabinet
approval in April, covers all 1,677 private unaided schools in the capital.
It proposes structural changes, including a grievance redressal system, caps on fee increases, parent representation in decisions, and penalties of up to ₹10 lakh for violations. Sood called it a 'permanent solution to a long-ignored issue that affects millions of parents and children in Delhi.'
He also added, 'This bill is a small effort on our part to honour Dr. Mukherjee's vision and to ensure that education does not become a burden on the people of India, but instead becomes a path leading them to a better future.'
How the fee regulation will work
The new bill introduces a three-tier regulatory framework meant to vet fee hike proposals and resolve disputes.
School-level fee regulation committee
Every private school must form a committee by 15 July each year. It will include five randomly selected parents from the Parent-Teacher Association, with at least two women and one member from SC, ST or other backward communities. A representative from the Directorate of Education (DoE) will also be on the panel, which is chaired by a school management representative.
Schools must submit their fee proposal to this committee by 31 July. If approved by 15 September, that fee structure stays fixed for the next three academic years.
However, if at least 15 percent of the school's parents disagree, they can escalate the matter to the district-level appellate committee by 30 September.
District fee appellate committee
This committee will examine disputes and must deliver a decision within 45 days. If the conflict is unresolved, the final appeal lies with the
Revision Committee
.
Revision Committee
This highest-tier body will give binding rulings that will remain valid for three years. According to Section 8 of the bill, criteria for setting fees will include the school's location, infrastructure, staff salaries and revenue surplus.
Section 12 sets the penalties. An unauthorised fee hike could attract a fine between ₹1 lakh and ₹10 lakh, doubling every 20 days until compliance. Persistent offenders may be forced to refund overcharged fees and could lose school recognition.
Transparency promised, but concerns persist
The Delhi government argues that the bill will increase transparency and curb profiteering. It mandates schools to submit audited financials and infrastructure costs before proposing any fee hike. It also allows the Director of Education to order fee rollbacks and refunds if the hike is deemed unjustified.
But many parents and political opponents remain sceptical.
AAP: Bill protects profiteers, not parents
Leader of Opposition
Atishi
has strongly criticised the bill. 'After letting private schools hike fees unchecked for four months, the
BJP
now brings a sham bill that hands control to school owners, blocks parent voices, and protects profiteers,' she said.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has demanded that the bill be referred to a Select Committee and that all fee hikes for the 2024–25 academic year be frozen. Atishi also pointed out that introducing the bill after the academic session had already started allowed schools time to raise fees without scrutiny.
Parents push back
Several parents' groups have raised questions about the bill's design. The biggest concern revolves around the 15 percent threshold required to challenge a school's fee decision. Critics argue that this is an unrealistically high bar and effectively prevents parents from raising objections.
'Requiring a minimum of 15 percent of a school's parents to challenge the school-level Fee Regulatory Committee's decision before the district committee is nearly impossible. It effectively denies parents the right to contest arbitrary fee hikes,' said Ashok Agarwal, chairperson of the All India Parents Association, speaking to The Print.
Others worry about the selection process for the parent members on the committee. Some feel it opens the door to tokenism and weakens true representation.
Will the Bill rein in commercialisation?
The bill does attempt to set clear limits:
Schools can raise fees only once per academic year with prior approval
They must disclose financial and operational data
A three-stage complaints system is now in place
Penalties are defined and severe for unauthorised hikes
But gaps remain. There are no provisions to freeze current hikes, no retrospective control over hikes already enforced this year, and no strong deterrent against non-tuition charges. The school-led committees may also lack the independence needed for fair decisions.
Crucially, the bill does not provide safeguards for students who may face expulsion due to fee disputes.
The Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Bill, 2025 is a long-awaited intervention in a space that has seen little regulation. It proposes systems where there were none. It talks about participation where decisions were once unilateral.
But the big question is whether it does enough. For many parents, the answer may depend not just on the text of the law, but on how it plays out in classrooms, fee counters and committee rooms.
The court's ruling against Virender Rana is a timely reminder of the pressure many families face. The challenge for lawmakers now is to ensure that regulation means real relief, not just another layer of red tape.