Mumbai, November 4, 2026: Observing that students should not bear the brunt of the authorities’ failure to act against unrecognised schools for years, the Bombay High Court on Wednesday indicated that 14 such schools in Malwani, Malad West, could be allowed to continue functioning until March-April 2027 so that students can complete the current academic year without disruption.
“Right now, we are concerned about the students. The transition has to be slow. You cannot uproot students from tomorrow,” a bench of Chief Justice MC Tripathi and Justice Advait Sethna observed, asking the state government to take instructions on whether it was willing to defer the schools’ closure.
The bench said that while institutions could not be allowed to operate indefinitely without the necessary permissions, students should not suffer because of the authorities’ failure to take timely action.
Court Questions Delay In Action Against Schools
The court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Nazir Khan, challenging the civic body’s action against the 14 allegedly unauthorised schools.
During the hearing, BMC advocate Poornima Kantharia informed the court that notices had been issued to the schools every year since 2019. The bench, however, questioned why no effective steps had been taken despite the authorities being aware of their operations for several years.
“If notices have been issued since 2019, then all the more take action,” Justice Sethna remarked, stressing that the authorities must ensure that students are not abruptly displaced.
BMC Offers To Accommodate Students
The BMC, in its affidavit, stated that it could accommodate students from all 14 schools in nearby municipal schools for the current academic year. It maintained that the unrecognised institutions should be closed and their students shifted to municipal, aided, unaided or private schools.
The petitioner’s advocate, however, pointed out that several schools catered to children from slum areas and questioned how students could be shifted at short notice. He also said there were no newly constructed BMC schools in the vicinity to accommodate them.
The bench asked the authorities to identify recognised schools in the neighbourhood where the affected students could be accommodated.
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Matter Posted For January 2027
It clarified that its immediate concern was to ensure that the ongoing academic session was not disrupted and that it was not examining the larger issue of relaxing recognition requirements for these institutions.
The court has posted the matter for further hearing in January 2027.
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