Delhi HC seeks Centre stand on challenge to age criteria for Class 1 admissions in Kendriya Vidyalayas

Judge Rekha Palli also requested a response from the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) and listed the petition for further consideration on March 10, alleging that the change of age criteria, which was previously five years, violates is with the right to education vested in the petitioner under Articles 14, 21 and 21-A of the Constitution and under the provisions of the Delhi School Education Act, 1973 and the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act , 2009.

The petitioner, a UKG student represented by lawyer Ashok Agarwal, alleged that KVS suddenly changed the admission criteria for class 1 in six years by uploading the guidelines for admission to Kendriya Vidyalayas on its portal just four days before the admission process started last month.

The petition alleges that change is arbitrary, discriminatory, unjust, unreasonable and without the authority of the law and that it did not give parents sufficient time to make alternative arrangements.

“The change to more than six years is an invention of the defendant KVS without any mandate from the NEP 2020 (the National Education Policy 2020) and that also to the detriment of children like the petitioner,” according to the petition submitted via the girl’s father.

It added that most of the well-known private schools have closed their admission and compared to students from other schools, children in KV would lose a year through no fault of their own.

“No comments from interested parties have been received and no public discussion has been held. Therefore, it is respectfully filed that the challenged directives are unreasonable and affected by Article 14 of the Constitution of India,” the petition said, requesting authorities to reformulate the eligibility criteria in line with the law.