Three hundred and fifty more girls can be enrolled in Malkaganj Government Girls School this academic year.

The reason: the High Court has ordered a government department to relent space it had occupied in the school premises since 1992.

The result: the secondary school, with a strength of 1,300 students, will now have more than enough space for eight more classrooms, a Mathematics laboratory, a music room, a games room and a drawing room. All luxuries the school could ill afford for well over a decade.

With the Directorate of Family Welfare illegally occupying a major part of the school building and playground, the institution was forced to accommodate 100 students in classrooms meant for 40. In 1992 the department had "moved in", the court was told, to set up shop in 15 classrooms, aside from the playground. The Directorate of Education, Delhi government, runs the school.

Now, acting on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Ashok Agarwal, a Bench of the Delhi High Court led by Chief Justice M K Sharma has sent the Welfare department packing. The court has given the children, largely drawn from underprivileged families in the Capital, a full go on their school premises.

"The school should be given the entire complex for running its activities, particularly when the school is meant for girl students," the Bench observed.

"The government should find an alternative place for the office of the Director of Family Welfare."

Up next, the court ordered the Chief Secretary, Delhi Government, to "look into the matter and sort out the dispute".

The government counsel confirmed to the court in a recent hearing that the Family Welfare department had indeed vacated the property, which was handed over to the school vice-principal.

"The order means that about 350 more girl students will get education," said Agarwal, the advocate on whose PIL set off the verdict.