HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court on Thursday sharply criticised the Telangana Admission and Fee Regulatory Committee (TAFRC) for delaying the finalisation of engineering college fee structures for the upcoming academic year. The court questioned why a decision had not been taken by June, despite proposals being submitted as early as December 2024.
Justice K Lakshman, who heard the petitions on Thursday, expressed dissatisfaction over the repetitive delays in fee decisions, calling it a “mockery” that recurs every year. “By the time counselling ends and classes begin, the fee issue remains unresolved,” the judge observed. The judge also noted that colleges approaching court at the last minute had become routine.
Several engineering colleges have challenged the government’s rejection of fee hike proposals through these urgent petitions. Senior advocate Avinash Desai, representing the colleges, stated that proposals were submitted in December 2024 and accepted by the committee during a March meeting. He argued that the proposals were officially recorded in the committee register and requested that it be presented before the court. Justice Lakshman directed the officials to submit the register immediately.
Senior advocate Sriraghuram, representing TAFRC, argued that as per Supreme Court directions, colleges should not operate with profit motives. He added that due to time constraints, the committee recommended applying the existing fee structure from the “block period” (2022–23 to 2024–25) to the 2025–26 academic year.
Special Government Pleader Rahul Reddy also opposed the proposed hike, pointing out that some colleges were seeking up to a 70% increase in fees. He warned that such an increase would place a significant financial burden on students and affect around 1.5 lakh students across the state. The court stated it would issue interim orders regarding the fee hike on Friday. Meanwhile, it directed the registry to list the petition filed by Keshav Memorial College before a different judge.