School ordered to pay Rs 1L compensation for service deficiency

Rourkela: The district consumer disputes redressal commission, Sundargarh-1, has ordered a private residential school to pay Rs 1 lakh compensation to a student's father for harassment and deficiency in service.

The commission directed the school principal to refund the remaining fees and pay an additional Rs 10,000 as litigation expenses within 30 days. Failure to comply will attract 9% annual interest until realisation, the commission ordered.

The case was filed by Deepak Kumar Singh (41), a Sunaripada resident, whose daughter is enrolled in the school's Plus 2 commerce programme. After paying Rs 1,40,300 in admission fees, the girl spent just over a month at the institution before discovering that the facilities and education quality fell short of what was mentioned in the prospectus.

Despite multiple attempts by Singh to address these concerns with the school authorities, including written applications dated July 19 and Aug 28, 2024, requesting a transfer certificate and fee refund, the school remained unresponsive. Singh had also cited his daughter's medical conditions requiring parental supervision as an additional reason for the withdrawal.

In its May 8 judgment, the commission noted that the school's failure to refund the fees after receiving the transfer certificate request constituted both deficiency in service and unfair trade practice. The commission has ordered appropriate deductions for the period of attendance before processing the refund.