Nat'l Consumer Panel Asks Delhi School to Compensate Ex-student for Denying Admit Card

New Delhi: The apex consumer commission has asked a Delhi school to pay its former student a compensation of Rs 75,000 for causing mental agony and harassment by withholding his admit card.

The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) upheld the state commission's order granting compensation to the student but set aside its direction cancelling recognition of the Bal Mandir Senior Secondary School, Vikas Marg, in the larger interest of other students studying there.

"The state commission has rightly awarded a compensation of Rs 75,000 for mental agony and harassment, including litigation charges, to the student. The order of the state commission is upheld to the extent of payment of Rs 75,000 towards compensation for mental agony and harassment including litigation charges," the commission's presiding member C Vishwanath said.

"As regards initiation of proceedings for cancellation of recognition of the petitioner school, in view of the fact that several students studying in the petitioner school would suffer irreparable loss and injury in case of de-recognition of the school, in the larger interest of other students studying in the petitioner school, this direction of the state commission is set aside," it said.

In 2009, the student, Akash Agrawal was to appear for his board examinations. He had to skip a few classes because of his ill health and was not issued admit card by the school.

He was only issued an admit card by the school after he approached a civil court.

In the complaint filed by the student, he said that due to the late issuance of admit card, he was mentally disturbed and harassed, due to which he scored less marks than expected and therefore, could not get admitted in a good college.

The commission said that it showed "negligence and deficiency in service" on the part of the school and by doing so the educational institution had kept the "future of students at stake".

"The state commission rightly observed that despite submission of medical certificate, the school had not taken any action to obtain condonation of shortage of attendance from CBSE," the commission said.