The Delhi High Court on Friday sought the Delhi government’s response to a petition challenging a Directorate of Education (DoE) circular directing private unaided schools to constitute School Level Fee Regulation Committees (SLFRCs) by July 15, even as it said schools could approach the court if any coercive action was initiated against them in the interim.School Level Fee Regulation Committees: Delhi HC seeks govt reply in fee panel caseThe June 30 circular directed all private unaided schools in city to set up SLFRCs to regulate fees for a three-academic-year block beginning with the 2026-27 session. It also asked school managements to submit the proposed fee structure for the upcoming three-year block to the committees for approval by July 31.DoE warned that any deviation from the prescribed procedure would be viewed seriously and could invite stringent action under the Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Act, 2025.A bench of chief justice DK Upadhyaya and justice Tejas Karia directed the Delhi government to file its reply to the application moved by the Action Committee of Unaided Recognised Private Schools and listed the matter for hearing on July 20, when petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the 2025 Act are also scheduled to be heard.It added, that if the department in the meantime took any action against the schools in case of non-compliance, the schools could inform the court. “If it precipitates, kindly inform us. Wait until then. The respondents are directed to file objections to the application in a week and the petitioner to file its response to the objections thereafter. List the application on the date fixed, i.e. July 20,” the court said.Appearing for the action committee, advocate Kamal Gupta argued that the June 30 circular amounted to an overreach of DoE’s authority and undermined the judicial process, pointing out that the high court had, on February 28, stayed an earlier DoE decision advancing the timeline for constituting the SLFRCs.The application has been filed in the batch of petitions challenging the constitutionality of the Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Act, 2025.The Act, notified on December 10, 2025, aims to curb arbitrary fee hikes in private schools by requiring all fee revisions to be approved through a three-tier committee system comprising representatives of parents, school managements and the government.