New Delhi, Jan. 20 -- The Supreme Court on Monday told the Delhi government to consider deferring the enforcement of its law fixing fees of private schools to April 2026, observing that implementing it for the present academic session will be "unviable". The court asked the government to think on the matter and report back next week. Without passing any order, the bench of justices PS Narasimha and Alok Aradhe noted that the recently notified Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Act, 2025, "talks about the implementation from next year. You are saying that you will start from this year retrospectively." Posting the matter for January 27, the bench said, "No doubt, the fees are phenomenally high. This is legislation for public welfare. But, in your over anxiety, you are creating institutions which are not viable. Acting hurriedly may lead to the committee not being constituted properly. This also will have an effect of recovery on them (schools). It will be unviable as you are forcing people to get up overnight." The court was hearing petitions by private school associations in the Capital challenging a Delhi High Court interim order refusing to stay the Act as well as a Delhi government notification directing all the schools in the Capital to constitute a fee regulation committee for the 2025-26 academic session. Additional solicitor general (ASG) SV Raju, appearing for the Delhi government, said the matter was elaborately argued in the HC and the government had agreed to extend the time for the schools to implement the circular at their request. "It's a one-time exercise for this year. The other aspect is for subsequent years. The fee that is being charged for this year will be deemed to be the proposed fees for 2025-26. This will then go to the School Level Fee Regulation Committee (SLFRC)." The petitions were filed by individual schools, Action Committee for Unaided Recognised Private Schools, Delhi Public School Society, among others....