The court issued the direction after it was informed by the Delhi government’s Directorate of Education (DoE) that there have been instances of fee hike by private unaided schools despite the stay order. The Delhi High Court Monday extended till April 30 its interim order staying the single judge’s order that allowed private unaided schools to go ahead with an interim fee hike. Schools sought to hike fee to implement recommendations of the Seventh Central Pay Commission on salaries of teachers and other employees. A bench of Justice S Muralidhar and Justice I S Mehta, however, observed that private unaided schools, which did not approach the court or seek the government’s approval to hike fee, will not get the benefit of its order on the issue. It asked the Action Committee Unaided Recognised Private Schools, which represents over 300 such institutions, to give a list of schools that have applied to the government for approval to hike fee or have moved court for the same. The court issued the direction after it was informed by the Delhi government’s Directorate of Education (DoE) that there have been instances of fee hike by private unaided schools despite the stay order. It also told the court that some schools proceeded to hike fee without first sending a proposal seeking approval. The Committee, during its arguments, told the bench that the DoE has been “prohibiting” them from submitting their statements of accounts, as required under the law, for seeking approval for increasing fee. It said that “there was a concerted effort to prevent schools from filing their statements of accounts”. Meanwhile, parents of children studying in several schools across Delhi have alleged that schools, in contravention of the High Court’s stay, have sent fee hike notices to them. Parents gathered outside St George’s School, Alaknanda, and protested against a proposed hike. While schools authorities did not respond to calls seeking a comment, protesting parents held banners and posters and sat outside the school in the morning. “If the court has said no school will hike their fee till it gives them a go-ahead, how can the school take this decision?” said a parent.