Minority schools are not bound by Ganguly Committee recommendations

New Delhi, Feb 24 (UNI) Delhi High Court has held that the unaided minority schools in the capital are not bound by the Ganguly Committee recommendations while admitting students to the nursery classes.

While disposing of a petition, Justice B D Ahmed held that ''Unaided minority schools are, therefore, not covered by the Ganguly Committee Recommendations.'' While justifying the reason, he said, ''Under the school specific criteria, in so far as the minority schools are concerned, their rights have been clearly safeguarded not only with regard to admitting children of the minority community but also other children in general.'' A petition was filed by Anil Kumar Sisodia, the father of Kirti, seeking direction to Montfort Senior Secondary School and the Directorate of Education, Delhi, for the admission of his ward to the nursery class in accordance with the grading system in the Ganguly Committee recommendations.

The bench headed by Chief Justice M K Sharma had directed the Delhi Government on December 8, 2006 to implement the recommendations of the committee, headed by Ashok Ganguly, the Chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education(CBSE) for a year for the admission to the nursery classes.

Counsel Ranjan Kumar appearing for the petitioner submitted that the school denied admission to the child by employing its own criteria of admission instead of the recommedations of the Ganguly Committee.

Counsel Romy Chacko appearing for the school justified the criteria followed by the school saying that ''There are also schools established and run by religious or linguistic minorities under the Article 30(1) of the Constitution. The freedom to administer and, in instance, to admit children of the minority to the school remains safeguarded.'' UNI