Authorities Under Disaster Management Act Have No Power To Alter Fee Structure Of Private Schools
Case: Indian School, Jodhpur Vs. State Of Rajasthan
Coram: Justices AM Khanwilkar and Dinesh Maheshwari
Case No: [CA 1724 OF 2021]
Court Observation: “Having regard to the purport of the Act of 2005, it is unfathomable as to how the State Authorities established under the stated Act can arrogate unto themselves power to issue directions to private parties on economic aspects of legitimate subsisting contractual matters or transactions between them inter se. In any case, the impugned order has not been issued by the State Authority referred to in the Act of 2005.
It is not enough to say that the same was issued under the directions of the Chief Minister of the State. For, the Chief Minister is only the Chairperson (Ex officio) of the State Disaster Management Authority established under Section 14 of the Act of 2005. Suffice it to observe that there is no provision in the Act of 2005 which concerns or governs the subject of interdicting the school fee structure fixed under the Act of 2016.”, the court said referring to the provisions of the Act.
“The measures enunciated in Section 4 of the Act of 2020 in no way deal with the “tariffs” of air, rail, road, hospital, temporary accommodation. It only enables the Authority to prohibit any usage or activities which the Government considers sufficient to spread or transmit epidemic diseases and for that purpose to inspect various places suspected of being infected with such diseases. Indeed, it can regulate or restrict the functioning of offices, Government and private and educational institutions in the State.
That, however, would be only in respect of manner of its use and its timings including to observe standard operating procedures to ensure that epidemic diseases do not transmit or spread on account of activities carried out therein. That power to regulate cannot be invoked to control the tariffs, fees or cost of goods and services and in particular economic aspects of contractual matters between two private parties or so to say school fees of private unaided schools. Accordingly, even the last point urged by the State to justify the impugned order dated 28.10.2020 falls to the ground.”
[doc id=4914]
Previous Posts
No COVID Patient Should Be Denied Hospital Admission For Lack Of Local Address Proof
Prohibition Of Child Marriage Law Does Not Differentiate On Basis Of Religion
Section 3(2)(v) of SC/ST Act Will Attract As Long As Caste Identity Is One Of The Grounds For The Occurrence Of Offence Download Judgement
Keywords
Fee Structure, Private Schools, Disaster Management Act
