Verdict in fee case reserved

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 19

Less than a week after the State of Punjab was asked to clarify whether it was in favour of deferring or waiving charges other than the tuition fee, the government today submitted that the waiver was till the normalisation of the situation.

In an additional affidavit placed before Justice Nirmaljit Kaur, the government said the prohibition was, in fact, till the physical reopening of the schools. The government added the schools would be permitted to accept the “other charges” from the parents on a pro rata basis till the schools opened for the remaining months. Quoting an example, the state said in case the schools remained physically shut till August 1, the annual charges/other charges would be waived from April to August.

Justice Nirmaljit Kaur also reserved verdict on the petitions in the matter. In one of the petitions, Independent Schools’ Association through counsel Aashish Chopra had contended the directives on charging only the tuition fee were illegal arbitrary, without jurisdiction and rationale. Punjab Advocate-General Atul Nanda, on the other hand, claimed there was no question of financial hardship since schools conducting online classes would continue to charge fee “in respect of such classes”.

Representing no less than 3,500 schools, senior advocate Puneet Bali had meanwhile submitted the cases of parents in genuine distress would be considered on individual basis for fee waiver, reduction and deferment.

Appearing on behalf of the parents, advocate Charanpal Singh Bagri argued that averments by the schools regarding their helplessness to meet expenditure such as staff salary was “entirely in air, baseless having no force in eyes of law…”