CHENNAI: Postgraduate medical students studying in deemed universities located in the union territory of Puducherry will continue to pay just Rs 10 lakh as ‘interim fee’ annually. They got the reprieve on Monday, when the Supreme Court refused to interfere in the interim fee (Rs 10 lakh) fixed by Madras high court, until the fee fixation committee prescribes a final fee structure.
Dismissing a special leave petition filed by Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute against an order of the Madras high court, a bench comprising Justice Arun Mishra and Justice Uday Umesh Lalit, said, “We are not inclined to interfere. The special leave petition is dismissed. However, we request the high court to decide the matter within a period of six months. At the same time, it is stated that some committee is undertaking the fee fixation in accordance. It is open to submit the report of the committee before the high court. With respect to fee structure, the fees which is realised as per impugned order, will hold good till such time the high court decides the matter.”On June 16, 2017, as a big relief to students who had been asked to cough up fees ranging from Rs 40 lakh to Rs 50 lakh by Puducherry deemed universities, the high court had said it would be enough if students paid Rs 10 lakh as first year’s fee and that final figures should be prescribed by a committee formed by the UGC and the Centre.
“When self-financing private medical colleges can survive by charging a fee of Rs 5.5 lakh per annum for students under state quota and Rs 14 lakh for students under management quota, which is 50% of the total seats, we find it difficult to accept that the fee of Rs 40 lakh to Rs 50 lakh per annum charged by deemed universities, is reasonable,” the high court said in its order.
Noting that it could not keep its eyes shut to the issue, the first bench of Madras high court headed by Chief Justice Indira Banerjee said, “By reason of exorbitant fee notified by deemed universities, there are still seats going vacant and students who have duly competed and succeeded in clearing the admission tests, and have undergone counselling, being deprived of an opportunity to pursue their higher studies by reason of prohibitive fees, which is prima facie unsustainable in law.”
The bench then directed the deemed universities to admit the students provisionally selected in the order of merit, subject to the condition that the student should deposit Rs 10 lakh each at the time of admission towards annual fee for the first year with CENTAC, and subject to other conditions that in the event of the fee determined by the fee committee constituted by the UGC and union HRD ministry being more, they should pay the differential amount.
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