Justice Manmohan issued notice to the Ministries of Human Resource Development and Urban Development seeking their replies on whether there was any neighbourhood criteria for admission in schools.
The court wished to know the Centre's stand during the hearing of pleas challenging the Delhi government's notification that made 298 private schools, built on DDA land, accept admission forms based only on the neighbourhood or distance criteria.
The court also sought to know the stand of Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and Land and Development Office here, on the neighbourhood criteria set by the AAP government under which admissions have been restricted to the area where these institutions are located.
The court had in its interim order on January 13 allowed parents to fill up application forms of various schools based on the criteria set by them as well as the AAP government.
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Meanwhile, the court today commenced arguments on pleas by parents, schools and forum, who have challenged a condition in the letter allotting DDA land to them under which admissions have been restricted to the institutions' locality.
(Reopens LGD20)
Earlier in the day, the division bench refused to entertain an NGO's plea seeking transfer of hearing related to the nursery admission case from a single judge to a larger bench.
The pleas filed by association and parents challenged the circular of the Directorate of Education (DoE) under which it had issued an admission guidelines for entry level classes for open seats in private unaided schools on private land for 2017-2018 session, saying it "illegally and arbitrarily distinguished between schools situated on private land and those running on land allotted by DDA".
Defining what neighbourhood would mean, the guidelines state that students residing within one km of the school will be preferred and if seats are not filled, preference will be given to those students residing within 1-3 km.
"Students residing beyond 6 kms shall be admitted only in case vacancies remain unfilled even after considering all the students within 6 kms area," as per the guidelines.
Besides Forum for Promotion of Quality Education, the plea by Action Committee Unaided Recognised Private Schools claimed that they have the autonomy to regulate their admissions as per the Delhi School Education Act and Rules.
The process for nursery admissions in over 1400 private schools began in the national capital on January 2 and is expected to end on January 31.
The first list of selected candidates, including the wait listed candidates, along with marks allotted under point system will be announced by schools on February 15.