Allahabad High Court asks principal to admit student after she shows alternative address near school

Source:-https://www.indialegallive.com

New Delhi (ILNS): The Allahabad High Court has directed the Principal of Kendriya Vidyalaya IFFCO Phulpur, Prayagraj to admit a student who had been denied admission on the ground that petitioner’s residence is 226 km from the school and therefore, it is not possible for her to attend her classes on a daily basis.

Justice Pankaj Bhatia gave the order while disposing of the Petition of Kumari Aaradhya Tripathi.

Advocate Kunjesh Kumar Dubey, representing the petitioner, said that the petitioner had applied for admission to the school in session 2020-21. She was selected. However, the student had filled his father’s permanent address at Banda, as there was no column to fill the temporary address. Due to this the Principal refused to give her admission, saying that petitioner’s residence is 226 km from the school.

The counsel further submitted that he is ready and willing to give an affidavit in this connection by the parents of the minor girl as well as the maternal uncle of the minor girl to demonstrate that the minor girl in question shall stay with her maternal uncle for pursuing studies.

Devendra Pratap Singh, counsel appearing on behalf of the respondents, argued that the said rejection was done in terms of the guidelines which provide for filling of the current address only. However, for the reasons best known, the petitioner did not fill the current address and as the address shown is more than 200 km away as such the admission was rightly cancelled.

Considering the submissions made by the parties, the court observed: “Submissions of the respondents deserve to be rejected for the sole reason that once the petitioner has alternative arrangements of staying near the school, the Principal could not have rejected the admission solely on the ground that the permanent address is at a distance of 200 kilometers onwards”.

Hence, the court has ordered the Petitioner’s father and maternal uncle to submit a fresh Affidavit within two weeks time that she will stay at maternal uncle’s house for the purpose of studying. The court has directed the school authority to grant admission to the Petitioner in the school immediately after the submission of affidavit.