DPS Dwarka revokes student ousters

Public shaming/intimidation of a student...[amounts to] harassment and undermines the child's psychological well-being. The use of 'bouncers' fosters a climate of fear, humiliation and exclusion. DELHI HIGH COURT

- Shruti Kakkar

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Public School (DPS) Dwarka on Thursday informed the Delhi high court that it had withdrawn its order expelling 31 students for non-payment of hiked fees — just minutes before the court was to pronounce its verdict in the case.

As Justice Sachin Datta assembled to deliver his ruling on the parents' plea, the school's counsel submitted that the expulsion order had been withdrawn. The students' names had been reinstated, subject to parents paying fees in line with an earlier order by the high court on May 16. That order directed students to pay 50% of the increased fees for the 2024-25 session, pending a final decision by the UT's department of education (DoE).

The school's lawyer also informed the bench that an affidavit to that effect had already been filed earlier in the week.

Taking note of the submission, Justice Datta noted that the immediate controversy had become moot. However, the bench laid down clear procedural safeguards for any future actions under the Delhi School Education Rules, 1973. The school must issue prior communication specifying the date for striking a student off the rolls and must give reasonable opportunity to the students or their guardians to show cause against such action, it directed.