New Delhi – The Supreme Court has ruled that Delhi’s new private school fee regulation law, the Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Act, 2025, will not be enforced during the current academic year 2025-26. The court recorded this statement from the Delhi government and subsequently dismissed all petitions challenging the law. The Delhi High Court will now decide the validity of the Act.
Fee Regulation Law Delayed for 2025-26
Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, representing the Delhi government, informed the Supreme Court that the Act, notified in December 2025, would take effect from the next academic year. This clarification settled the immediate concerns regarding the law’s implementation for the ongoing session.
A bench comprising Justice PS Narasimha and Justice Alok Aradhe stated that with this assurance, the Act would not apply to the 2025-26 academic year. The court emphasized that all questions regarding the law’s validity remain open for adjudication by the Delhi High Court.
The Supreme Court noted its initial concern about the “hurry in implementation.” However, the government’s commitment to postpone enforcement from the current year concluded the court’s direct involvement at this stage.
Delhi High Court to Hear Validity Challenges
The apex court directed the Delhi High Court to expedite pending proceedings. It stipulated that the high court will make the final decision on substantive issues, including the law’s scope and applicability. Fees charged by private unaided schools for the 2025-26 academic year will be subject to the final outcome of these high court cases.
The challenge to the Act originated from over 800 private unaided recognized schools. These institutions filed petitions in the Supreme Court after the Delhi High Court declined to halt the Act’s implementation. Their primary argument was that the government lacked the authority to enforce the new fee regulation mid-academic year without proper procedural adherence.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had acknowledged the law’s objectives but questioned the Delhi government’s “hurried implementation.” In response, the Delhi government issued an “order for removal of difficulties” to address concerns about the law’s retrospective enforcement.