Coaching centres with more than 20 students cannot operate from residential area, says Delhi HC

New Delhi : The Delhi High Court on Thursday said that coaching centres having more than 20 students cannot operate from a residential area and must be moved to a commercial building. The bench of Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora's observation came while hearing a plea moved by the Coaching Federation of India challenging a Notification wherein the DDA modified the clause of Unified Building Bye Laws-2016 including Coaching Centres in the definition of 'Educational Buildings'.
Court observed that the matter involves human lives and the said notification can't stay. Petitioner claimed that the Impugned Notification is in violation of Article 13(2), Article 19(1)(g) and Article 14 of the Constitution of India, 1950 being ambiguous, arbitrary, defying the principle of intelligible differentia and in utter disregard and ignorance of MPD-2021, NBC-2016 and the other related provisions governing the establishment of the coaching centres, construction and classification of buildings. Petitioner further submitted that the impugned Notification has resulted in vague and arbitrary provisions causing ambiguity in the provisions applicable to the establishment of coaching centres. The amendment introduced vide Impugned Notification exempts coaching centres having student less than 20 from the category of the educational buildings. However, the same does not mention as to how the bar of 20 student as specified in the definition is applicable. Therefore, such ambiguity has resulted in great inconvenience and apprehension in the mind of people including the petitioner.