Delhi Education Director responsible for freeship in schools:HC

New Delhi, Apr 16 (UNI) The Delhi High Court today held the Delhi government for failing to implement 20 per cent freeship quota for the poor in the private schools established on subsidised public land.

A division bench of Justice T S Thakur and Justice S N Agrawal said, ''We are not impressed by the submission. The Director of Education is the trustee and responsible for the execution of the clause.'' The Director should have examined the matter and cancelled the recognition of the schools, which had been defaulting for several years, they said.

''The DE should have written to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to cancel the land allotment to these defaulting schools.

''Your officers are not taking action against the defaulting schools for extraneous reasons,'' the court observed while adjourning the matter for further hearing tomorrow.

Counsel Avinash Ahalwat, appearing for the Directorate, submitted that the court-appointed committee had recommended 20 per cent freeship in all the 361 public schools, allotted land at a concessional rate.

The court observed that criminal proceedings should have been initiated against the defaulting schools while asking the government to ensure strict implementation of the agreement.

On January 31, some public schools had filed a petition challenging the notification of the Delhi Government, saying that the it could not be implemented in its present form.

The High Court had directed the Delhi Government to implement the provisions in the lease deeds with the schools by forcing them to admit at least 20 per cent students under the freeship quota.

On September 13, 2005, the High Court had issued a stern warning to 106 private unaided public schools established on the government land allotted at a concessional rate, to provide 20 percent seats to the poor students.

UNI