High Court Quashes Jabalpur Fee Panel Orders, Upholds Minority Rights of Schools

Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, December 13, 2025:

The Madhya Pradesh High Court’s decision to set aside the orders issued by the District Fee Regulation Committee has brought significant relief to private schools across Jabalpur. The Court held that the Committee exceeded its authority under the Madhya Pradesh Private Schools Fee Regulation Act, 2017, and criticised the manner in which the proceedings were carried out.

In its ruling, the Court observed that the Committee had issued directions outside its legal remit, including instructions on uniforms, textbooks, school bag weight and teaching content. The bench also objected to the public hearings where parents, school staff and management members were assembled together, stating that such gatherings were not envisaged under the Act. The Court found that dismissing the earlier petitions on the basis of an alternative remedy was incorrect and restored the schools’ right to seek judicial relief.

Amid these developments, Fr. Thankacchan Jose, former President (2016–2020) of the All India Association of Catholic Schools (ANIAC), explained the circumstances that schools faced during the inquiry. He said the actions were initiated by the then District Officer (DO), who has since been transferred to Bhopal. According to him, none of the schools violated the 10% fee-increase limit prescribed under the 2017 Act.

Fr. Jose stated that pressure was placed on schools to resolve the matter informally. “We were even told that if we wanted to settle this issue, we could pay a certain amount, but we made it clear that we would follow the judiciary and respect the courts’ decisions,” he said.

He added that officials believed schools were gaining financial benefit from private publishers. As a result, the administration organised a “private publishers mela” and asked schools to submit booklists and source books from the mela. In response, Catholic schools decided not to use private publishers. Instead, they adopted NCERT books for Classes 6 to 12, while teachers prepared digital content for KG to Class 5. Fr. Jose said the DO later issued a notice claiming the content was too lengthy, although the material had been shared only in digital form.

He stated that authorities objected to schools using their own academic content and insisted on material linked to the mela. “They did not want us to recommend the e-content we were following,” he said.

During the court proceedings, a group calling itself a parents’ association sought to intervene. When the judges asked whether the group was registered, its representatives confirmed it was not, leading the Court to dismiss their participation.

Addressing concerns about future disputes, Fr. Jose said the situation was unlikely to recur. He noted that individuals who were reportedly uninvolved were arrested, and political pressure complicated their bail, leading to an appeal before the Supreme Court. He also said authorities filed FIRs without verifying the schools’ financial records.

He added that many parents initially believed they would receive refunds, which caused tension at school campuses. However, after the Court directed that pending fees must be paid, parents complied.

High Court Quashes Jabalpur Fee Panel Orders, Upholds Minority Rights of Schools

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