The Supreme Court on Tuesday decided to halve the monthly cost of utilising its crèche facility after it heard a writ petition that alleged the fee structure discouraged many parents from taking advantage of the service, The Times of India reported. The court registrar issued a letter reducing the monthly fee from Rs 5,000 to Rs 2,500 as well waiving a security deposit and reducing the admission fee to the crèche from Rs 6,000 to Rs 2,000, Live Law reported. The charges for a single-day’s use of the crèche have also been reduced from Rs 500 to Rs 250.

The petition was filed by advocate Anindita Pujari, who also asked the apex court to provide a directive ensuring that the facility is hygienically maintained. Appearing for the advocate, senior lawyer Indira Jaising said it was the constitutional obligation of India’s highest court to provide childcare facilities for free. Jaising further said that the court’s registry was not providing enough space for the crèche.

However, her arguments were challenged by Supreme Court counsel Siddharth Luthra, who said a more “spacious crèche” with a front yard and garden will be made available inside a new building under construction. “The building is likely to be completed by September 2017,” Luthra said. The writ petition, filed just two days before the crèche was inaugurated, also pointed out that the salaries being offered to helpers at the facility stood at Rs 6,000, which is lower than Delhi’s prescribed minimum wage of Rs 9,048 for unskilled workers.