K’taka HC cancels circulars making fire safety certificate mandatory

Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has rendered two separate circulars issued by the Department of Public Education as null and void. These circulars had mandated the submission of fire safety certificates for the renewal of recognition of private unaided schools, with the aim of ensuring stringent fire safety measures within school premises.

A total of 22 private educational institutions, including the Pragya Education Society, collectively filed a petition challenging the validity of the circulars issued by the Public Education Department. In response to this petition, a bench presided over by Justice Ashok S. Kinaki has granted relief to the educational institutions, leading to the cancellation of both circulars.

Furthermore, the High Court clarified that the government’s circulars, issued on November 10, 2020, and March 10, 2021, do not apply to private schools following the state curriculum that were operational prior to the academic year 2020-21. The specifics of the court’s order pertaining to this matter are expected to be issued in a detailed written format at a later date.

The dispute revolved around the state government’s mandate for private schools to comply with mandatory fire safety measures and obtain relevant certificates for the renewal of their accreditation. The government had also stipulated that the evaluation of these safety measures should be conducted by engineers in accordance with the National Building Code.

However, private educational institutions challenged this requirement, contending that it created discriminatory practices, as government schools were exempted from the same regulations.