Patna: The high court on Wednesday directed the state government to file a reply within two weeks on a petition seeking to regulate fees in private schools.

A division bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice Anil Kumar Upadhyay passed the order on a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Sanjeev Kumar alleging that private schools charge exorbitant fees. "Many private schools in Bihar had been increasing their fee every year in the absence of any effective and transparent mechanism," the petitioner's counsel Ram Sandesh Roy told the bench. Such institutions have proliferated in Bihar, Roy said, because the boards do not monitor private schools.

Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan have appointed regulatory authorities to control such arbitrary action by schools, Roy said. He sought such mechanism in Bihar as well.

Roy pleaded for the court's direction to ensure parents are not forced to buy books, stationery, uniform and other goods at higher price from the school or from places referred to by the school.

He also pleaded for ensuring that private schools preferred National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) books instead of those published by private companies. The court, in its order, said: "The anxiety expressed by the petitioner... warrants consideration of the government and the government should evolve some regulatory mechanism..... However, this being a policy matter, executive in nature to be decided by the state government... it is not appropriate for this court to right away enter into all these areas.... On the contrary, the state should explore the possibility by creating a regulatory mechanism.... Let the competent authority... submit a report to this court as to what the state government proposes to do..."

The government said it has already constituted an expert committee on the issue.

The bench directed the committee to proceed.