CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has ordered the fee fixation committee to redo the fee determined for MBBS course in self-financing medical colleges from 2022 to 2025 by taking into account the amenities and facilities provided and the expenditure incurred by each institution and by strictly adhering to the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court on fixation of fees.
The order was passed by a division bench of Justices SM Subramaniam and K Rajasekar recently while disposing of the petitions of the Tamil Nadu Self-financing Medical Colleges Association.
The association had moved the court against the orders issued by the fee fixation committee in 2022 and 2024 fixing the fee for 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25.
Senior counsel Isaac Mohanlal, appearing for the petitioners, submitted that the committee had fixed the fee without adhering to the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court which had stressed institution-based fee and not universal. He also said the panel had categorised the colleges into three and fixed the fee with a subtle variation of about only Rs 5, 000. Colleges incurring more expenditure are left to suffer more financial burden. Further, the individual colleges were not given an opportunity of personal hearing by the committee.
However, the committee contended that expenditure statement on 20 major heads, including salaries, electricity charges, purchase of equipment, books, printing and stationeries, research and developments, repairs and maintenance, were taken into account. The division bench said the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court are to be considered in letter and spirit “to strike a balance between the expenditure incurred by the institutions and to prevent collection of excess or exorbitant fee”.
“The endeavor of the committee is to ensure the students are not being harassed by the institutions and also to protect the sustenance of the institutions and to impart better education,” the bench said.
It directed the committee to give opportunity of personal hearing to the institutions and consider/reconsider the documents they submit before taking a final call.
It also said the institutions are expected to keep in mind that they cannot commercialise educational institutions, as directed by the Supreme Court.