Direction to withdraw NOC to Baldwin schools stayed by HC

The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday stayed a direction by the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights to the Education Department to withdraw the No Objection Certificate (NOC) given in favour of Baldwin group of schools for getting affiliation of the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) for allegedly forcing the parents to purchase books from a particular vendor at an exorbitant price.

Justice Aravind Kumar passed the interim order on a petition filed by Baldwin Methodist Education Society and its institutions — Baldwin Boys High School, Baldwin Girls High School and Baldwin’s Co-education Extension High School. The petitioners have questioned the June 15 order direction of the commission.

The court also stayed the commission’s June 14 direction for lodging a criminal case against the three schools for allegedly leaking data of students and their parents, in response to another petition filed by the schools.

It has been contended in the petition that the commission had issued the directions without issuing any notice to the schools and without allowing the advocates, who went to the commission to represent the schools on receipt of directions issued by the commission.

Source: TH