Hike income cap for EWS school admission to Rs 5 lakh: Delhi High Court

In a recent development, the Delhi High Court ordered the Delhi government to increase the cap on annual family income for admission to schools under the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category from Rs 1 lakh (Rs 8,333 per month) to Rs 5 lakh (Rs 41,667 per month) “with immediate effect”.

The Delhi government’s Directorate of Education (DoE) shall frame a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for income verification and regular monitoring of the eligibility criteria, it said.

Reportedly, the court dismissed the petition moved by the boy challenging cancellation of his admission from the school. It, however, allowed him to continue studying there as a general category student.

The court said the child, who has been continuing with his studies since 2013, was not at fault and shall not be made to suffer for his father’s misdeeds.

However, it imposed Rs 10 lakh as costs on the boy's father for securing admission of his son by illicit means thereby denying a deserving candidate an opportunity to study in a school of repute.

According to the Delhi School Education (Free seats for Students belonging to Economically Weaker Sections and Disadvantage Group) Order, 2011, children whose parents have an annual income of less than ₹1 lakh, and have been living in the Capital for the last three years, are entitled to admission under the EWS quota.

The court’s order came in a plea challenging the cancellation of admission of a child at a private school in Delhi on the grounds that the child’s father allegedly forged his voter ID card to meet the eligibility criteria, and allegedly made a false declaration regarding his income.