Bengaluru: The High Court has held that the state government has no authority to prescribe a separate registration fee under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, to process an application seeking permission to begin a new school.

The court said that State, under the RTE Act, can prescribe a particular are required for the playground.

Justice S Abdul Nazeer passed the order while disposing of a petition filed by Alpha Education Society, Bengaluru, questioning rejection of its application for starting an English medium school for class 8 to 10 last year.

The government had rejected the application citing lack of an acre of land for playground, as per the criteria fixed under provisions of the Act for starting new schools.