Madhya Pradesh HC exonerates private schools, including Church-run ones, from exorbitant fee allegations; slams officials for hostile actions and exceeding powers.
Newsroom (15/12/2025 Gaudium Press ) The Madhya Pradesh High Court has quashed allegations of exorbitant fee collection against 11 private schools in Jabalpur district, including several Christian institutions, ruling that state authorities acted beyond their powers in a “very hostile atmosphere.”
In a detailed order dated December 2 and made public on December 13, a division bench comprising Justices Vivek Rusia and Pradeep Mittal declared the state government’s directive to refund approximately 380 million rupees (US$4.6 million) to students as “unsustainable.” The court described the officials’ actions as undue “interference with the management of the schools.”
The case stemmed from accusations that the schools had raised fees by 30–40 percent without official approval, violating a state law that caps increases exceeding 10 percent without permission. However, the bench noted that authorities failed to substantiate these claims.
The high court further admonished district officials for lacking the authority “to fix the fee and issue various directions which are within the domain of the management or society which runs the school.” It also prohibited district authorities from conducting public hearings on fee hikes, during which school principals, teachers, and management were reportedly humiliated in front of parents and the public.
The judges observed that the administration’s approach had created a rift between school management and parents, ultimately harming students’ education.
The controversy began in May of the previous year when police arrested 20 individuals, including a Protestant bishop, a Catholic priest, and principals of Church-run schools. They were among 71 people charged in connection with the alleged violations of state fee guidelines. All were later released on bail granted by the Supreme Court.
In January this year, the Jabalpur district education officer ordered four schools—two of them Church-managed—to refund fees collected over six academic years, from 2018–19 to 2024–25.
Madhya Pradesh is governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party, the same party that leads the national government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Church leaders welcomed the court’s decision as a vindication. Father Davis George, vicar general of the Jabalpur diocese, described the earlier actions as a “witch hunt.” Speaking to UCA News on December 15, he said the schools were implicated in false cases, with staff harassed and jailed without cause. “The government’s actions were completely unwarranted,” he added, emphasizing that any discrepancies should have been addressed proportionately. “This witch hunt is not good for a democracy like India, as those victimized were principals, teachers and others engaged in educating society.”
Father Thankachal Jose, who handles legal matters for the Jabalpur diocese, criticized the public humiliation of educators and the reputational damage to the institutions. “The government authorities owe an answer not only to us but to society at large,” he said, adding that such conduct did not reflect well on a civilized society.
Christians form less than 1 percent of Madhya Pradesh’s population of about 72 million, the majority of whom are Hindus.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from UCA News
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