HC raps Delhi govt for failing to open new school in Kirari: ‘Authorities concerned lack necessary resolve’

This direction comes six years after a local NGO filed a petition pointing to the complete absence of a government school within a 3-4 km radius in the area.

The Indian Express on May 16 reported that two government schools, including the Kirari school, have been lying unused for months despite being inaugurated. The Kirari school was inaugurated by the previous AAP government this January.

The court, in its May 21 order, uploaded on Saturday, noted not just the delay in construction and approval processes, but lack of coordination among government departments in ensuring the school becomes operational.

The case was filed in 2019 by Hamara Prayas Samajik Utthan, an NGO working on education rights. The HC had disposed of the matter back then after directing the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to allot land for the school. The land was eventually granted, and the building at Prem Nagar 3 in Kirari was constructed and inaugurated in January 2025.

But over a year later, the school remains closed.

On May 21 this year, a division bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela took up the matter again after the petitioner NGO filed a fresh application seeking directions to make the school functional.

The court reviewed inspection reports from two meetings held in April and May this year. The reports detailed several serious problems in the school building:

• There is no electricity, as the budget for the connection has not yet been approved.
• The septic tank capacity is inadequate to handle the expected 4,000 students.
• There is no sewage connection or any alternative system for wastewater disposal.
• All science and vocational labs are incomplete, lacking plumbing and fittings.
• Building has open balconies, gaps in staircases, and unsecured rooftop gates, which the court noted could be dangerous for children.
• Furniture is insufficient, especially for the primary wing.

“Demand note of electric connection has already been generated by TPDDL, but the budget has not been allotted to the electricity department of the PWD by the Directorate of Education, GNCT of Delhi. The issue has been pursued with the higher authorities for further action,” informed the PWD.

There is no access road to the school, making it physically difficult for students and staff to reach. In this regard, officials during meetings instructed the school head to give a reminder to the DDA on construction of an approach road to the school.

All of these problems, the court noted, have been known to the government for months, but nothing has moved. “Such an approach cannot be appreciated,” the bench said, “… The school, as we have been informed, is supposed to cater to 4,000 children in the vicinity, which, in itself, should have prompted the authorities to make the school functional.”

The court has ordered the matter to be placed directly before the Secretary, Department of Education, who must personally ensure that all pending issues are resolved and the school starts operating by July 15.

“During this period, the deficiencies… may be made good by all departments concerned in all respects,” the order said.

The court also directed the DDA to immediately start work on constructing the access road to the school and complete it at the earliest.

To ensure the school doesn’t lose another academic session, the bench instructed the Education Department to begin the admission process immediately and give wide publicity, inviting students to apply. Affidavits detailing progress must be submitted by Secretary of Education and DDA V-C by the next hearing on July 23.

When contacted, PWD Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh had earlier told The Indian Express, “I’ve taken immediate note of this issue and directed the authorities concerned to ensure that all essential facilities are put in place at the earliest…”