Delhi: 11-year-old challenges Supreme Court against entrance tests in CM Shri schools

The petition reads that the entrance admission test violates Article 21-A of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to free and compulsory education.

New Delhi: An eleven-year-old student has move the Supreme Court challenging the Delhi Government's admission policy for CM SHRI Schools that requires students to undergo an entrance test for entry into Classes 6th, 7th and 8th, reports Dynamite News correspondent.

Petition Under Article 32

The petition has been filed under Article 32 of the Constitution. The petition reads that the entrance admission test violates Article 21-A of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to free and compulsory education. The petition also includes the Section 13 of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 (RTE Act).

The Section 13 of the RTE Act prohibits the use of any "screening procedure" in school admissions.

Case of Janmesh Sagar

The case relates to a Class VI student Janmesh Sagar who reads Government Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya here.

He had applied for admission to a CM SHRI school for the academic year 2025-26. But in compliance with a circular of 23 July 2025 of the Government of NCT of Delhi, he was asked to appear in an entrance test on 13 September.

The writ petition of Janmesh Sagar says that such entrance tests are unlawful and discriminatory, especially for CM SHRI schools as these schools come under the "specified category" defined in Section 2(p) of the RTE Act. It does not exempt them from the applicability of Section 13.

(...being updated)