HYDERABAD: Justice Chillakuar Sumalatha of the Telangana High Court on Monday directed private unaided medical colleges in the State to collect only 60 per cent of the fee specified in the contested GO 107, dated July 28, 2023, from candidates falling under Category-A and 70 per cent from candidates under Category-B.
For their convenience, candidates from both categories, at the time of fee payment, should submit a personal bond as an assurance to cover the remaining fee amount, if required, after the resolution of the ongoing writ petition.
Notably, candidates who have already paid the entire fee are not entitled to an immediate refund; however, their eligibility for a refund will be considered following the conclusion of the writ petition proceedings.
The judge was hearing a plea by Dr Bathula Venkata Durga Ashok and 221 other candidates who took the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for postgraduate studies in medicine, challenging the validity of GO 107 issued by the Health, Medical, and Family Welfare department on July 28, 2023.
Counsels for the petitioners told the court that the fee structure for medical and dental PG studies was unreasonably high. They also pointed out the trend of exorbitant fee hikes, ranging from 179 per cent to 296 per cent in both convener and management quotas. Counsels pointed out that this matter has been under judicial consideration since 2020 and remains unresolved.
Counsel representing the Telangana Admission and Fee Regulatory Commission (TAFRC) clarified that GO 20 was enacted without taking into account TAFRC’s recommendations, while the present GO is based on the commission’s counsel.
After considering the arguments, the court observed that some courses and professions, including medical services, are viewed legislatively as services rather than commercial pursuits and issued her directions.