Med PG fee hike gets HC’s conditional nod

Provides two-instalment facility to students

A Division Bench on Wednesday issued an interim order whereupon students enrolling in private medical and dental colleges falling under Category-A (convener quota) were asked to pay 50 per cent of the enhanced fee and furnish a bond for the balance amount and those under Category-B1 (management quota) Sub Category-1 pay 60 per cent of the enhanced fee to colleges and a bond for the remaining 40 per cent.

The Bench, headed by Chief Justice Raghavendra Singh Chauhan and Justice Shameem Akhter, was dealing with a writ petition on the Post Graduate medical courses fee hike for

2020-2023. More than

121 petitioners challenged the phenomenal hike while Chairman of TAFRC Mr Swaroop Reddy filed a memo urging the Bench not to hear the writ petition.

While passing its interlocutory order, the Bench observed “presently, this Court is required to balance the conflicting interest of both students and medical colleges. Considering the fact that prima-facie, there appears to be a steep increase in fee, and taking into consideration the trauma caused by Covid-19, it could be extremely difficult for the economically-hit elders to raise money and pay the entire fee.”

The private medical colleges and TAFRC were given four weeks each to file counter affidavits for final adjudication.

Senior counsels, D. Prakash Reddy, Ravichandran, D.V. Seetharamamurthy and others appearing for several private medical and dental colleges contended that the hike was justified as this this the first such increase in over four years during which time there has been a steady increase in pay scales of both teaching and nonteaching staff.

Prakash Reddy proposed that the bench fix 75 per cent of fees be paid for those coming under management quota as they belonged to affluent families. He also highlighted the fact that managements were also adversely hit by the lockdown.