HC ALLOWS ADESH VARSITY TO CHARGE FEE FIXED BY IT

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court on Friday stayed a Punjab government notification on a plea from Adesh University, Bathinda, challenging government decision to decrease the fee for postgraduate medical courses.

The high court bench of justices Jaswant Singh and Sant Parkash observed that once prospectus has been issued and implemented, it cannot be allowed to be changed mid-admissions.

The government could have objected to the fee fixed by the university before the commencement of the first counselling. Hence the state ought not to have interfered/altered the conditions of the prospectus to the disadvantage of the parties/stakeholders midway, the court said.

The court allowed the varsity to charge fee what was notified in the prospectus and adopted in the first counselling. However, court said that by June 30, the varsity would file an affidavit, in case the present petition fails, stating that it will refund the excess of the fees charged from the students with interest at the rate of 7% per annum.

PUNJAB REGULATED FEE OF MEDICAL COLLEGES

On April 17, Punjab government had effected changes in the Punjab Private Health Sciences Educational Institutions (Regulations of Admission, Fixation of Fee and Making of Reservation) Amendement Act 2006, and regulated the fee structure medical colleges.

With this university’s fee structure got changed for admissions to postgraduate courses for the session 2020-21 and in some cases fee brought down from ₹14 lakh to ₹6 lakh.

STAYING A GOVERNMENT NOTIFICATION, COURT SAYS IT SHOULD HAVE OBJECTED TO THE FEE FIXED BY THE VARSITY BEFORE BEGINNING OF FIRST COUNSELLING