NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Thursday criticised Delhi Public School (DPS), Dwarka, for deploying bouncers to stop students from entering the campus due to a dispute over fees.
Justice Sachin Datta said such acts amounted to public shaming and intimidation, which could cause mental harassment and self-worth of a child.
“This court is also constrained to express its dismay at the alleged conduct of the petitioner school in engaging bouncers to physically block entry of certain students into the school premises. Such a reprehensible practice has no place in an institute of learning. It reflects not only disregard to the dignity of a child but also fundamental misunderstanding of a school’s role in society,” the court stated.
The judge said the use of such force created a “climate of fear, humiliation and exclusion”, one that went against the fundamental ethos of a school.
The order came in response to a plea filed by parents after over 30 students were removed from the school rolls on May 9. The action prompted the parents to approach the HC in an already pending petition against the school. However, by the time of the court’s ruling, the school’s legal team informed the judge that the earlier order debarring 31 students had been withdrawn and the affected students had been reinstated.
As a result, the court noted that the issue raised in the parents’ plea had become a “moot” point. Still, it laid down clear directions should the school seek to take similar action in future under Rule 35 of Delhi School Education Rules, 1973.