Delhi High Court Halts Early Formation of School Fee Panels

New Delhi | February 28, 2026: The Delhi High Court has stayed the Directorate of Education’s (DoE) decision to fast-track the creation of School-Level Fee Regulation Committees (SLFRCs) for determining fees from the 2026–27 academic session onward.

The DoE had issued a notification on February 1 directing schools to constitute SLFRCs by February 10, advancing the deadline from July 15 as prescribed under the Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Act, 2025. Schools were also instructed to submit proposed fee structures within two weeks of forming the committees.

A bench led by Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia ruled that the implementation of specific clauses of the notification would remain suspended while related petitions are pending. The court clarified that, until further orders, petitioning schools may continue charging the same fees for the 2026-27 academic year as were levied in 2025-26. However, any excessive fees collected for 2025–26 would remain subject to legal scrutiny and final outcomes of the ongoing challenges before the High Court and the Supreme Court.

The decision came in response to petitions filed by the Forum of Minority Schools, the Action Committee of Unaided Recognised Private Schools, the Delhi Public School Society, and the Rohini Educational Society. The petitioners argued that altering statutory deadlines through an executive notification violated the framework laid out in the 2025 Act and that such changes required legislative amendment.

They further contended that the revised timeline disrupted the Act’s intended process, which envisions fee determination for an upcoming academic year being finalized during the preceding year.

Representing the DoE, law officers argued that the timelines specified in the Act are procedural and can be modified to prevent profiteering and ensure effective fee regulation. The department described the February directive as a one-time step to operationalize the regulated fee structure for the session beginning April 1, 2026.

A detailed copy of the court’s order is awaited, and the petitions are scheduled for final hearing on March 12, 2026.