School fee hike unfair — RTI to Fee Regulatory Committee

School fee hike unfair — RTI to Fee Regulatory Committee

⚠️ DPDP Rules, 2025 (14 Nov 2025) amended Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act — public-interest override now under Section 8(2). Read the note →

snippets:dpdp-banner · 2026/04/19 05:02

Direct answer. File RTI to State Fee Regulatory Committee AND school. Ask fee structure approval, audited accounts, infrastructure-justification, hike rationale.

Legal framework

State Fee Regulation Acts (e.g., TN 2009, MH 2011, Karnataka 2017).
TMA Pai v. State of Karnataka (2002) — fee autonomy with regulation.
Modern School v. UoI (2004) — no profiteering.

5 questions to ask

Fee structure approval document.
Audited accounts (last 3 years).
Infrastructure justification.
Hike rationale.
Parent-committee minutes.

Template

To: The Public Information Officer, State Fee Regulatory Committee / DEO
Subject: Application under §6 RTI Act 2005 — School fee regulation

My ward at [school] has hiked fees by [..]. Please furnish: (1) approval, (2) audited accounts, (3) infrastructure justification, (4) hike rationale, (5) parent-committee minutes.

Fee: Rs.10 by IPO/cash.

Common mistakes

Filing only at school — file at State Fee Regulator.
Skipping audited accounts ask.

Case law anchors

Modern School v. UoI (2004) 5 SCC 583 — fee should not be profiteering.
CIC/MoHRD/A/2017/000567 — school accounts disclosable.

Pro tips

Parent association collective RTI is far stronger.
Pair with Fee Regulatory Tribunal complaint.

FAQ

Q: Govt-aided school? Lower fee permissible; RTI for grant utilization too.
Q: Mid-year hike? Generally barred — RTI for special approval.

Sources

State Fee Regulation Acts. TMA Pai (2002). Modern School (2004).

Last reviewed: 25 April 2026.

rti, for, school, fee, structure, citizen-rti, rti-template

Table of Contents