Parents will have to pay the entire fees along with interest…Court’s strict stance on school fees dispute in Delhi

New Delhi : An important court decision has come out amid the ongoing controversies regarding fees of private schools in Delhi. Saket District Court has made it clear that payment of school fees cannot be stopped by citing the canceled government order. The court gave this decision in a case related to Bluebells School International, in which a parent had not deposited the fees for a long time. The court, while ruling in favor of the private school, has ordered the parents to pay the outstanding fees along with interest and litigation expenses.

Wrong reference to the order of the Directorate of Education
The case was heard in the court of Civil Judge Ajit Narayan located in Saket district. The court said that the order of the Directorate of Education on the basis of which the parents were trying to avoid paying the fees has already been cancelled. In such a situation, withholding fees in his name is completely unfair. The court also made it clear that when an order does not exist in law, no legal liability can be avoided by taking recourse to it.

Side of Bluebells School International
Bluebells School International had filed a civil suit against the student’s father to recover the outstanding fees of around Rs 1.49 lakh. The school said that while admitting the student, the parents were fully aware that the school was fee-based and paying the fees was a legal responsibility. Fees were paid regularly for the initial period, but later the parents stopped the payment citing the order of the Directorate of Education dated August 1, 2018 and an old High Court case related to it.

High Court decision
Advocate Atul Jain, appearing on behalf of the school, told the court that the order on the basis of which the fees were withheld was canceled by the Delhi High Court on February 7, 2024 and there is no stay on that decision. Despite this the parent did not deposit the outstanding fees. The school management wrote letters several times, made phone calls and even verbally requested to deposit the fees, but every time there was delay. Ultimately the school had to send a legal notice on 31 May 2024, to which no reply was given.

serve summons to guardian
According to court records, summons were served to the guardian on November 18, 2024, but he neither appeared in the court nor filed any written statement. Considering this negligence as serious, the court terminated his defense rights on February 3, 2025 and started an ex-parte hearing in the case. The court found the documents presented by the school, the student’s admission form and fee records to be correct.

Relief in interest rate but payment mandatory
The court ordered the parent to pay the outstanding fees of Rs 1,49,647 to the school. However, considering the 18 percent interest demanded by the school as high, the court reduced it to nine percent per annum. Along with this, the parents were also directed to pay the expenses of the case to the school.

Important message for parents
This decision is an important message for those parents who try to avoid paying school fees by citing old or canceled orders. The court has made it clear that such arguments to avoid legal responsibilities will not be accepted and it is mandatory to follow the law in fee disputes.