The Delhi government has issued a show-cause notice to a private school in Janakpuri proposing to take over the school, over lapses including “cover-up” of sexual assault on a nursery student, Education Minister Ashish Sood said on Sunday (July 19, 2026). 

“In light of these continuous and systemic failures, the Directorate of Education has asked the school’s managing Trust to explain why the government should not execute the following actions: Government Takeover: Immediate takeover of the school’s management by the Delhi Government under Section 20(1) of the Delhi School Education Act (DSEA), 1973,” an official statement from the Minister’s office. 

A three-year-old girl was raped allegedly by a 57-year-old caretaker on the school premises on April 30.

The Minister said that the government has absolute zero tolerance for any compromise on the safety and dignity of our children. “A school stands in loco parentis, it is legally and morally responsible for every child on its premises. If an institution covers up a heinous crime like child abuse, operates illegal branches in residential basements, and loots public funds, we will not sit quietly. We are prepared to completely take over the management and recommend the cancellation of their land lease,” Mr. Sood said. 

The school management “deliberately” failed to report this heinous incident to the Directorate of Education, violating mandatory child protection laws, as per the statement. 

“When the police visited the pre-primary branch to investigate the crime, all 64 CCTV cameras installed on the premises were found to be completely non-functional. The school had intentionally operated without a maintenance contract,” the statement said. 

The school was “illegally” operating its nursery and KG classes from a private residential building in Narang Colony without any authorisation and the basement of this unauthorized building was being used as an unsupervised activity area for minor children, as per the Minister’s office. 

“The school had no Child Protection Policy, no Child Protection Committee, and no POCSO-trained Nodal Officer. Essential security staff, including guards, had not undergone mandatory police background verification,” the statement said. 

The management allegedly diverted approximately ₹6 crores meant for staff retirement benefits to another branch under the guise of “loan settlement”, and they also paid unauthorised professional fees to the school’s manager and trustees out of the school fund, as per the official statement. 

The Delhi High Court on Monday (June 29, 2026) cancelled the bail granted to a 57-year-old private school caretaker accused of raping a three-year-old girl on the premises in west Delhi’s Janakpuri area, and asked him to surrender on July 1.

A vacation Bench of Justice Vinod Kumar passed the verdict on the pleas by the Delhi Police and the complainant against the trial court’s May 7 decision to release Lalit Kumar on bail in the case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

“I have agreed with the State and the petitioner (complainant). Both petitions are allowed. Accused Lalit Kumar is directed to surrender before the jurisdictional POCSO court on July 1 at 2 p.m.,” said Justice Kumar.

Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, appearing for the police, had earlier argued that it was not a case where the trial court should have given a reprieve to the main accused, i.e. the caretaker.

He had submitted that it was a clear case of aggravated penetrative sexual assault under Section 6 of the POCSO Act, which was punishable with a minimum term of 20 years in jail, as the child had already identified the perpetrator and made specific allegations.

The counsel for the accused had denied all allegations of sexual assault against him, stating that the “foundational facts” of the present case cannot be sustained.

The incident came to light on May 1 when the girl’s mother filed a complaint at Janakpuri police station, alleging that her daughter was sexually assaulted during school hours by the accused.

According to the complaint, the child had gone to the school on April 30, the second day after her admission.

After returning home, she complained of pain. When questioned by her mother, the girl said that she was taken to an isolated area in the school, where the man allegedly assaulted her.

Based on the complaint by the child’s mother, police registered a case under section 64(1) (punishment for rape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and section 6 (Punishment for aggravated penetrative sexual assault) of the POCSO Act.

Police said the child identified the accused, following which the school caretaker was arrested on May 1. He was later produced before a court and sent to judicial custody.

However, he was granted bail by a court in Dwarka on May 7 despite strong opposition from the prosecution.

A teacher was also arrested for allegedly concealing the incident from the authorities and was remanded in one-day police custody by the trial court on May 14.