Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Distance not a criterion for admission to schools: HC 

Mohamed Imranullah S. 

 
CHENNAI, May 22, 2018 00:00 IST

Long distance between a school and the residence of a child for whom admission is sought, cannot be the sole reason to deny admission, since the parents of the applicant could always be given an opportunity to shift to a place closer to the institution, the Madras High Court has observed.

Justice S. Vaidyanathan made the observation while dismissing a writ petition filed by a minor child, represented by her father, seeking admission in Class I in the Kendriya Vidyalaya at the Air Force Station in Sulur in Coimbatore district. The judge rejected her plea on grounds other than the distance.

Though the school’s counsel claimed that the petitioner was residing 16 kilometres away and the petitioner’s counsel rebutted it by stating they have shifted the residence, the judge said: “It is no doubt true that distance may not be a factor to be considered for rejection as parents must be given an opportunity to shift the residence.”

However, when it came to assessing the conduct of the parents, the judge found that they had provided misleading information not only with respect to distance between the school and their residence but also their annual income, profession and community in their anxiety to somehow gain admission for their child. “The applicant had provided incorrect particulars in the online application form, which shows that the petitioner is not entitled to the relief sought for in the writ petition,” the judge said.

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