The
Delhi High Court has dismissed a petition challenging a private school's right
to charge for air conditioning in classrooms. In its May 2 order, the court
stated that "the cost for providing air conditioning services to the
school children has to be borne by the parents."
The petitioner stated
that the obligation to provide air conditioning facilities in classrooms is on
the school management must be paid for using the school’s own funds and
resources.
He
further claimed that the levy of this charge on the students is contrary to
Rule 154 of Delhi School Education Rules, 1973, adding that the petitioner
should not be charged with the liability to pay the cost.
A
two-judge bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet PS Arora
disagreed. The court compared the AC fee to other charges levied by schools,
stating, "The air conditioning facility is no different from other charges
such as lab and smart class fee levied by the schools."
The judges noted that
while "the financial burden of providing such facilities cannot be
fastened on the school management alone," parents must also be
"mindful of the facilities and the cost of the facilities provided to
their children" when choosing a school.