Jaipur: The Rajasthan High Court Wednesday granted interim relief to Neerja Modi School by staying the operation of an order passed by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) restricting its senior secondary affiliation.The court, however, laid conditions for the stay, directing the school to deposit 5 lakh with CBSE within 10 days. The amount will be kept in a fixed deposit and will be subject to the final outcome of the case. The court also directed the school to rectify all its deficiencies within one month. The court has directed CBSE to conduct a fresh inspection of the school after 45 days and granted it liberty to approach the court if the deficiencies were not rectified.The court has also asked the CBSE to prepare a list of schools in which they are intending to shift the students from Neerja Modi and also share if these schools fulfil the norms prescribed by the CBSE.The order was passed by a single bench of Justice Ganesh Ram Meena while hearing the school’s writ petition challenging CBSE’s decision dated Feb 23.In its modified order later, CBSE had restored the school’s affiliation up to the secondary level but withdrew senior secondary affiliation (Classes 11 and 12) for two academic sessions—2026–27 and 2027–28. It also barred fresh admissions in Class 11 during this period, although existing Class 11 students were allowed to continue and appear in board examinations.Senior advocate AK Sharma, assisted by Rachit Sharma, appearing for the school, submitted that the institution has been functioning since 2001 with around 5,500 students and had valid affiliation till March 31, 2029.Referring to an incident on Nov 1, 2025, when a nine-year-old student fell to death from the 4th floor on the school premises, the counsel said the school has terminated the services of the teacher concerned. He added that CBSE, in its communication dated Nov 3, 2025, pointed out certain deficiencies, most of which have been rectified, while the remaining would be fixed within a month. He argued that the CBSE order has caused uncertainty among students despite no fault on the part of the latter.Opposing the plea, CBSE counsel MS Raghav submitted that there was a violation of statutory provisions of the affiliation bye-laws and that a show-cause notice was issued before passing the order. Counsel for parents, SS Hora, argued that even minor violations can attract penalties, including de-affiliation, and such matters should not be treated leniently.
