Let’s not open floodgates: HC on AU fees for exams not held
CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has refused to interfere in a batch of pleas seeking to direct Anna University not to insist for payment of examination fees and waive the same for the current semester for the students up to the pre-final year in engineering course since the written exams have already been cancelled due to COVID-19 crisis.
Dismissing all the pleas, Justice N Anand Venkatesh said: “Even though the examination was not conducted, the fact that the students are declared as passed from the stage of the first year to pre-final year, has the effect of writing the examination and clearing the same. Therefore, it cannot be held to be completely illogical to demand payment of exam fees from the students for declaring their results.“
“It is for the same reason that the State Government permitted the institutions to collect the examination fees. To interfere with this decision at this point of time will open floodgates and will result in a chaotic situation, more particularly since many colleges affiliated to Anna University have collected the examination fees and paid it to the University and under such circumstances, a few others cannot be given an exemption,” the judge said.
Also noting that the court must be very slow to exercise its judicial review in academic matters since it will set a very bad precedent and will give rise to future litigations where students and institutions will start rushing to the court questioning the fixation of fees, Justice Anand Venkatesh said: “In any event, this court finds that the examination fees of Rs 148 for each paper and each student is not really exorbitant, warranting the interference of this court.” Based on this and pointing that since Anna University has already published the results under the interim orders passed, there shall be a direction to all the institutions affiliated to Anna University to collect the examination fees from the students, if not already paid, and in turn pay the same to the Anna University within four weeks.