CUTTACK: The state government’s fee hike for MBBS courses in private medical colleges has come under judicial scrutiny with the Orissa High Court acknowledging the concerns and issuing notices to the OJEE Cell of Skill Development and Technical Education (SDTE) department and the director of medical education and training (DMET).
A division bench of Justices Manash Ranjan Pathak and Mruganka Sekhar Sahoo issued notices after a preliminary hearing on the petitions filed by 16 candidates aspiring to take admission in private medical colleges under the Hi-Tech Group in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela on the basis of ranks secured in the OJEE-2025.
The bench heard the matter at length and directed that if any fee has already been deposited by the petitioners as per the revised structure, it shall be subject to the final outcome of the writ petitions. The matter has been listed for further hearing on August 26.
The petitioners had challenged the revised fee structure notified by the state government on August 16. The annual fee at Hi-Tech Medical College, Bhubaneswar, has been raised from Rs 6.5 lakh to Rs 11.5 lakh, while the Rourkela campus has seen a hike from Rs 5.5 lakh to Rs 8.54 lakh.
Advocates BPB Bahali and Saurav Das appeared for the petitioners, highlighting the financial distress caused by the sudden fee hike at the time of admission.
The petitioners are struggling to arrange funds or secure educational loans. The hike is arbitrary and lacks justification, the counsel argued.
The state government and SDTE were represented by additional government advocate Subha Bikash Panda, while senior advocate Subir Palit appeared for the OJEE Cell and advocate RC Mohanty for the DMET.