HC stays CIC order asking govt to publish EWS admission data

New Delhi, Jan 11 (PTI) The Delhi High Court has stayedan order passed by the Central Information Commission (CIC)directing the city government to make public the admissioncriteria for children of economically weaker section (EWS)followed by private schools for last three years.

The court also stayed the CIC order to put on thegovernment website the details about the annual returns placedon record by the schools.

Justice S Muralidhar recently stayed till April 7 thedirections passed by CIC on an application for informationunder the Right To Information (RTI) Act.

The order came on an appeal filed by the associationof city''s private schools -- The Delhi State Public SchoolManagement Association -- challenging CIC''s order passed onDecember 12 last year.

The association of schools submitted that the returndetails are confidential documents of the school under theIncome Tax Act and they should not be made public.

In December last year, to ensure transparency in schooladmissions, the Central Information Commission has directedthe Delhi Government to ensure that all schools put up adisplay board carrying information about available seats foreconomically weaker section (EWS).

Acting on an application filed by a woman under RTI Act,the commission had directed the Directorate of Education thatthe display boards should be in English and Hindi.

It said the display boards should show total number ofseats in all classes in a school, total vacancies in allclasses, total number of seats under EWS quota, seatsavailable under the quota, total applications received underthe quota, information about when EWS quota applications willbe received and date by which the admissions will be given.

The directorate has also been asked by the Commission toput on its website annual returns filed till date by private,unaided schools along with the list of schools which havedefaulted in filing returns, before December 31, 2010.