New Delhi, Aug. 9 -- The Delhi Assembly on Friday passed the Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Bill, 2025, with the stated aim of curbing "arbitrary" fee hikes by private schools and introducing a long-term framework to address concerns of parents and students. The legislation applies to all 1,677 private unaided schools in the national capital. The bill was tabled by education minister Ashish Sood on Monday and was approved by the Delhi Cabinet in April. It introduces a three-tier grievance redressal mechanism, imposes penalties of up to Rs.10 lakh for violations, and mandates parental participation in the fee determination process. During the discussion on the bill, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Sanjeev Jha proposed that the legislation be referred to a select committee for further scrutiny. The proposal was rejected by voice vote, with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) holding a majority in the House - 48 members compared to the AAP's 22. The issue of fee hikes had triggered widespread protests over the summer, with parents raising repeat concerns about steep and unregulated increases in private school fees. Leader of the Opposition Atishi requested a division of votes, but the request was not granted as the BJP held 41 votes against 17 from the opposition. Following this, the AAP MLAs staged a walkout as the bill was passed by voice vote. Chief minister Rekha Gupta said the bill was a landmark step in education reform and would bring long-overdue relief to parents....