HC orders fresh draw of lots for Delhi nursery admissions

L-G directed to issue a notification on the date and the mode to conduct a fresh draw of lots for the admissions

The court observed that children who were selected for admissions with the grant of five points under the transferred category or those who were put in the waiting under same category would be prejudiced if a fresh draw of lots was not conducted. File Photo: V.V.Krishnan

The Delhi High Court on Thursday scrapped the draw of lots and ordered a fresh one for all categories of applicants for nursery admissions in the Capital.

Justice Manmohan directed the Delhi Lieutenant-Governor to issue a notification on the date and the mode to conduct a fresh draw of lots for the admissions.

He passed the order on a petition by a group of parents and suggestions by school education rights activist Ashok Agarwal, who was a respondent in the matter.

The petitioners had moved the Court challenging the Delhi Government decision to scrap the rule of allocating five points to the children whose parents were transferred to the Capital from other States.

The Government had on February 27 scrapped the rule. It did it after several parents moved the Court challenging grant of points in the admissions to the children belonging to this category.

The petitioners had sought directions to the Government to confirm the list of successful candidates, including their children, published by the schools concerned prior to the issuing of the notification for scrapping the rule or order for a fresh draw of lots for all categories of children by cancelling the entire draw held prior to February 27.

The Government had issued the notification scrapping the rule after the High Court asked it to take a decision regarding the inter-State category and come out with a fresh schedule for draw of lots by February 27.

While passing the order, Justice Manmohan observed that children who were selected for admissions with the grant of five points under the transferred category or those who were put in the waiting under same category would be prejudiced if a fresh draw of lots was not conducted.

However, the Court dismissed the petitioners’ plea for restoration of five points for the transferred category students.

Counsel for the Lieutenant-Governor opposed the plea for a fresh draw of lots submitting that most of the schools had conducted the draw twice under the February 27 notification and several parents had already submitted the admission fee.