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India: 100 private schools in Noida fined Rs100,000 each for charging exorbitant fees

The penalty will be increased to Rs500,000 if the students are not refunded within 30 days

The Gautam Buddh Nagar administration has slapped a penalty of Rs100,000 each on around 100 private schools in Noida and Greater Noida for non-compliance of an order of the Allahabad High Court, officials said on Wednesday. The court had directed schools to return 15 per cent of the fees to all students which was charged during the 2020-21 coronavirus period, they said.

The penalty against the schools will be increased to Rs500,000 if the students are not refunded within 30 days, according to the order issued by District Inspector of Schools Dharamveer Singh.

A senior official said the matter of non-compliance of court order by the schools, which include prominent institutions, had come to light during a meeting of the District Fee Regulatory Committee (DFRC) on Monday.

"The DFRC meeting was chaired by District Magistrate Manish Kumar Verma and it emerged that around 100 private schools in Gautam Buddh Nagar have not complied with the HC order which had set a deadline of March for the repayment," the officer said.

The penalty order, issued on Wednesday to schools, cited the court order which was passed on January 6 this year.  "It is made clear that in case any fee has been paid in excess of what has been determined by the Supreme Court in the aforesaid judgment (i.e 15 per cent of the fees charged from students during academic year 2020-21, when classes were held online), in the case of the students still studying, the same may be adjusted in the fee to be paid in future," the order stated.

"In case of students who have passed out or left the school, the amount may be calculated and returned to those students. Let the entire exercise be done within two months of date," the order added.