In Brief
The State of Kerala issued guidelines requiring schools seeking Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) affiliation to have a minimum of 3 acres of contiguous land and at least 300 enrolled students. The Supreme Court upheld the High Court's decision striking down these requirements, finding them arbitrary and lacking rational basis. The Court noted that the CBSE itself adopts pragmatic, location-based standards, while Kerala's rigid requirements were inflexible and unjustified. The 300-student minimum creates an impossibility under the Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act's 30:1 student-teacher ratio. The Court held that State regulations must be rational and cannot unduly burden educational institutions without justification."
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