Delhi High Court backs cash aid for EWS students' school uniforms

The Delhi High Court dismissed a plea challenging cash assistance for students to buy uniforms. The ruling affirms that operationally practical welfare policies merit judicial restraint.Newdelhi,Oct 25, 2026 14:32 ISTThe Delhi High Court has refused to interfere with the Delhi government's decision to provide cash to students admitted under the economically weaker section (EWS) and disadvantaged group categories in private schools to buy uniforms, the Press Trust of India reported.A bench of Justices Subramonium Prasad and Renu Bhatnagar dismissed a review petition filed by the NGO Justice For All, which had sought reconsideration of the court's January 23 judgment upholding the decision.The petitioner argued that, under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, the Delhi government should provide uniforms instead of cash to students from EWS and disadvantaged groups studying in aided and unaided private schools.The Delhi government had earlier said that the Cabinet believed procuring and distributing uniforms would not be feasible because of operational constraints. It therefore introduced a policy on June 10, 2025, to pay students a suitable amount for uniforms. In its October 12 decision, the bench said the grounds raised in the review petition amounted to an attempt to argue the entire case again. It said a policy decision could not be interfered with unless it was so arbitrary, whimsical or capricious that it shocked the court's conscience, according to PTI.“The decision of the government that it shall provide cash to the students instead of providing uniforms because of the difficulties faced by the government cannot be said to be completely arbitrary, whimsical or capricious,” the court said. “All the materials provided by the GNCTD, including the new policy dated 10.06.2025 and note for Council of Ministers, have been considered by this court before coming to the decision that the policy dated 10.06.2025 is not against the mandate of the statute,” it added.On January 23, the High Court had upheld the government's decision to transfer money directly to eligible students in private schools to buy uniforms. It had observed that the authorities would face “genuine” difficulty in processing individual uniform orders for every student.The court had held that providing a uniform subsidy through Direct Benefit Transfer did not violate the Right to Education Act or its rules and would help ensure that students received uniforms on time.“Undoubtedly, it would be impossible to carry out the exercise of taking measurements of every student, placing orders for different kinds of uniform cloth on the GeM portal, after procurement of the material getting the uniforms stitched as per the measurements and finally distributing the uniforms in schools before the commencement of a new session,” the court had said.The High Court has, therefore, maintained its earlier ruling that the Delhi government's cash-transfer policy for uniforms is lawful and does not warrant judicial interference.- Ends