Pune: Supreme Court Bars Dhruv Global School From Hiking Fees Until DFRC Is Reconstituted
Pune: Supreme Court Bars Dhruv Global School From Hiking Fees Until DFRC Is Reconstituted
Parents’ united stand leads to continued protection against the arbitrary fee hike.
New Delhi, September 3, 2025 — The Supreme Court has upheld a Bombay High Court order restraining Dhruv Global School, Sus-Nande, Pune, Maharashtra, from collecting increased fees for the academic year 2025–26, pending the reconstitution of the Divisional Fee Regulatory Committee (DFRC).
The matter originated in November 2024, when a group of parents challenged the fee hike before the DFRC. However, the committee’s tenure lapsed before the appeal could be adjudicated. Subsequently, the parents approached the Bombay High Court, which granted interim relief by ruling that the school could not enforce the revised fee structure until the appeal was heard by a duly constituted committee.
Challenging this relief, Dhruv Global School filed a petition before the Supreme Court. The apex court, however, declined to interfere with the High Court’s order. Instead, it directed the State of Maharashtra to reconstitute the DFRC within 90 days. In the event of non-compliance, the school has been granted the liberty to approach the High Court for further directions.
The decision effectively protects parents from paying the hiked fees until the regulatory framework is restored. Legal experts note that the order reinforces the statutory role of fee regulatory committees in maintaining checks on school fee structures and prevents institutions from enforcing unilateral increases in the absence of oversight.
Parents have welcomed the judgment, calling it a significant step in ensuring transparency and fairness in school fee regulation. The school is yet to issue a revised communication regarding the fee demand for the current academic year.
