HYDERABAD: In a significant development regarding the fee hike issue in private engineering colleges, Justice B Vijaysen Reddy of the Telangana High Court has directed the registry to place the petitions before the chief justice’s bench. The judge observed that due to conflicting interim orders previously issued by two single-judge benches, it would be inappropriate for chief justice to proceed with the matter.
The issue stems from the GO 26, mandating that private engineering colleges should continue with the old fee structure for the academic year 2025-26. This decision came despite the Telangana Admission and Fee Regulatory Committee (TAFRC) recommending revised fee structures. Challenging the government’s order, Avanthi Engineering College and other institutions filed petitions in the High Court, arguing that the state’s decision to reject TAFRC’s recommendations was unjustified.
During the hearing on Monday, Justice Vijaysen Reddy noted that in earlier petitions, two different single-judge benches had issued contradictory interim orders, one allowing the fee hike and the other denying it. Considering this, he deemed it appropriate to refer the matter to the Chief Justice for a consolidated decision.
Appearing for the petitioners, advocate Tarun G Reddy argued that the college had accepted the revised fee registered by TAFRC, which was lower than their original proposal. On behalf of the state, Special Government Pleader Rahul Reddy contended that no formal proposal had been received from TAFRC regarding a fee hike and cited previous court orders in favor of CBIT (Chaitanya Bharathi Institute of Technology) as an example of the ongoing legal complexity. He also mentioned that several other colleges had filed petitions, and comprehensive interim orders were issued denying immediate fee increases.
After hearing both sides, Justice Vijaysen Reddy stated that issuing any directions at this stage would not be appropriate and emphasized that the matter required a unified decision from the Chief Justice’s bench. The registry has been instructed accordingly.