The Supreme Court of India has ruled that private unaided schools cannot deny admission to underprivileged students forwarded by the state, upholding the constitutional promise of education.
The court emphasized that enforcing the 25% quota for such students in unaided schools is a national mission tied to the Constitution's commitment to equality of status.
Once the state government completes the admission process and allocates a student to a school, the institution is bound to grant admission without delay, the court held.
The ruling came as the bench dismissed an appeal filed by a Lucknow-based private school challenging an Allahabad High Court order that had directed it to admit a girl child from a weaker section.
The Supreme Court made it clear that the statutory scheme under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 leaves no room for discretion at the level of schools.
The judgment reaffirmed the 'neighbourhood school' concept embedded in the RTE Act, describing it as a conscious constitutional strategy aimed at dismantling entrenched social barriers and fostering integration among children from diverse socio-economic backgrounds.
