CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Monday upheld the order of Anna University registrar demanding examination fees from college students. The court, dismissing pleas moved in this regard, observed that exercising its judicial review in academic matters will set a bad precedent and it will give rise to future litigations where students and institutions will start rushing to this court questioning the fixation of fees.
Justice Anand Venkatesh in his order said, “To interfere with this decision at this point of time, will open flood gates and it will result in a chaotic situation, more particularly since many colleges affiliated to Anna University have collected examination fees and paid it to the university and under such circumstances, a few others cannot be given any exemption.”
Anna University justifying its decision said that only `148 has been collected as examination fee for each paper. It said that only after the interim orders were passed by this court, the students stopped paying the examination fee. Therefore, when a majority of the institutions and students have already paid the examination fees and got their results published, it will not be in the fitness of things to grant an exception only to those who have approached this court questioning the collection of examination fee.
Already, 378 non-autonomous colleges affiliated to Anna University have paid the examination fee collected from the students, it added.The court, accepting the submissions, in its order said, “This court must be very slow to exercise its judicial review in academic matters since it will set a very bad precedent and it will give rise to future litigations where students and institutions will start rushing to this court questioning the fixation of fees. In any event, this court finds that the examination fees of `148 for each paper and each student is not exorbitant warranting the interference of this court.” The court then ordered institutions affiliated to Anna University to collect the examination fees from students within four weeks.