Government issues a show-cause notice to Janakpuri private school, proposes takeover

The Delhi government has issued a show-cause notice to a private school in Janakpuri proposing to take over the school, over lapses including “cover-up” of sexual assault on a nursery student, Education Minister Ashish Sood said on Sunday (July 19, 2026). “In light of these continuous and systemic failures, the Directorate of Education has asked the school’s managing Trust to explain why the government should not execute the following actions: Government Takeover: Immediate takeover of the school’s management by the Delhi Government under Section 20(1) of the Delhi School Education Act (DSEA), 1973,” an official statement from the Minister’s office. A three-year-old girl was raped allegedly by a 57-year-old caretaker on the school premises on April 30.The Minister said that the government has absolute zero tolerance for any compromise on the safety and dignity of our children. “A school stands in loco parentis, it is legally and morally responsible for every child on its premises. If an institution covers up a heinous crime like child abuse, operates illegal branches in residential basements, and loots public funds, we will not sit quietly. We are prepared to completely take over the management and recommend the cancellation of their land lease,” Mr. Sood said. The school management “deliberately” failed to report this heinous incident to the Directorate of Education, violating mandatory child protection laws, as per the statement. “When the police visited the pre-primary branch to investigate the crime, all 64 CCTV cameras installed on the premises were found to be completely non-functional. The school had intentionally operated without a maintenance contract,” the statement said. The school was “illegally” operating its nursery and KG classes from a private residential building in Narang Colony without any authorisation and the basement of this unauthorized building was being used as an unsupervised activity area for minor children, as per the Minister’s office. “The school had no Child Protection Policy, no Child Protection Committee, and no POCSO-trained Nodal Officer. Essential security staff, including guards, had not undergone mandatory police background verification,” the statement said. The management allegedly diverted approximately ₹6 crores meant for staff retirement benefits to another branch under the guise of “loan settlement”, and they also paid unauthorised professional fees to the school’s manager and trustees out of the school fund, as per the official statement. Published - July 20, 2026 03:02 am IST