HYDERABAD: In a contempt of court case, a division bench of the Telangana High Court on Thursday issued summons to Dr K Sashidhar, Managing Director, Kamineni Institute of Medical Sciences, Sreepuram, Narketpally, Nalgonda district.
The Division Bench, presided over by Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice N Tukaramji, was hearing a petition filed by one Dr Gujjula Reena and six others, alleging that private medical colleges were in wilful breach and intentional disobedience of the high court’s common order issued in a batch of writ petitions under Sections 10 to 12 of the Contempt of Courts Act.
The petitioners pointed out that the State government had issued two orders — GO 41 and GO 43 — increasing tuition fees by 72% to 990%. The GOs were then challenged on the grounds that they were issued without the endorsement of the Telangana Admission and Fee Regulatory Committee (TAFRC).
In January 2022, the High Court scrapped the GOs and directed colleges to collect fees in accordance with GO 29 dated May 2, 2016, which was issued in response to TAFRC recommendations for the 2016-2019 block period. The court also directed that all medical and dental colleges in the state restore all original education and course completion certificates to PG professionals who have completed the courses as soon as feasible.
Additionally, the court also ordered the colleges to return any excess fees paid by students within 30 days of the decision. Unfortunately, private medical colleges failed to comply with these requirements, prompting the filing of the petition. The court adjourned the case to April 24, 2023.