Fate of 600 students on line, PIL in HC seeks stay on Mumbai school closure

Mumbai: A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Bombay High Court, challenging the proposed closure of City International School in Oshiwara and seeking urgent directions to safeguard the academic future of nearly 600 students.The petition contends that private rental dispute and financial stress cannot override children's fundamental right to education. It seeks either a five-year extension to allow the school to continue functioning or directions to authorities to ensure smooth transfers without academic loss, particularly for students admitted under the Right to Education (RTE) quota and who make up around 25% of the school's strength.The plea follows a Feb 11 email from the management informing parents that the current academic year would be its last and advising them to collect leaving certificates. The decision triggered protests outside the campus, with families saying most schools have already completed admissions for the upcoming year."We were informed barely two months ago. Students in Class 9 are finding it extremely difficult to secure admissions, and the few schools open are demanding exorbitant fees," said parent Adnan Kakkalmeli. Background to the dispute lies in the school's leased premises. The annual rent was escalated from Rs 35.8 lakh to Rs 55 lakh, which the management cited as the primary reason behind the closure of the school, a representative of the landlord said in a written reply to a previous story by TOI that "the school has been operating on a leave-and-licence basis since 2011, and that eviction proceedings were initiated in 2014 after the agreement expired." They said extensions were granted till June 2023 and later till July 2026 on humanitarian grounds through consent terms, and that they have not demanded any increase in rent.