SC upholds KVS minimum age criterion for Class 1 admission

Advertisement

New Delhi, April 27

The Supreme Court has dismissed petitions challenging a Delhi High Court verdict upholding the decision of Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) to increase the minimum age for admissions to Class 1 from 5 years to 6 years from academic year 2022-23.

“We have also gone through the order of the learned Single Judge (of the Delhi High Court) assailed before us and are in full agreement with the view taken and give our imprimatur to the same. The Special Leave Petition is accordingly, dismissed,” a Bench led by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul said in its April 25 order.

The top court noted that the petitioners had also challenged the Single Judge’s order before a Division Bench of the Delhi High Court, which “rightly” dismissed the appeal on April 13.

A Single Judge of the Delhi High Court had on April 11 dismissed the petitions challenging the decision of the KVS to increase the minimum age for admissions to Class 1 from 5 years to 6 years from academic year 2022-23. It had agreed with the KVS that the decision was in keeping with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

“No doubt, the policy which was formulated in 2020 is yet to be implemented across schools in Delhi, despite the same having been already implemented in 21 states but once the statute i.e., the RTE Act, 2009 in itself places the KVS in a separate category coupled with the fact that all branches of KVS across the country, being run by the same management are obliged to follow the uniform criteria, the anxiousness of the KVS to introduce the age criteria of 6 years in accordance with the NEP, 2020 is well understood,” the HC had said.