HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court on Monday asked the state government to clearly indicate a deadline for settling long-pending fee reimbursement dues owed to private engineering colleges across the state.
Hearing a batch of petitions filed by several engineering institutions, Justice Juvvadi Sridevi granted what she termed a “final opportunity” to the government to submit comprehensive counter-affidavits. These filings must outline the proposed timeline for clearing dues and address other concerns raised by the colleges over provisions in a GO issued on April 29 relating to the fee reimbursement framework.
The court noted the urgency of the matter, particularly with the 2026-27 academic session scheduled to commence in July 2026. Stressing the need for clarity before the new admissions cycle begins, the judge adjourned the case to June 24 for further hearing, directing the state to place its response on record by then.
During proceedings, the Special Government Pleader sought additional time to obtain instructions on contentious clauses in the GO. These include issues such as payment of outstanding dues for students belonging to ST, BC, EBC, minority communities, and differently abled categories, covering academic years up to 2025-26. The transition to a Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system also came under discussion.
On the other hand, counsel representing the colleges argued that delays in the government’s response were creating uncertainty ahead of the new academic year. They requested continuation of the interim relief granted earlier on April 30, which had put on hold a clause preventing colleges from collecting tuition and other fees from students at the time of admission.
Taking these submissions into account, the court extended the suspension of the said clause until further orders, while reiterating that no further delay in filing counter-affidavits would be entertained.
Separately, a group of students moved the court seeking to be impleaded in the case. They alleged that certain colleges were pressuring them to clear pending fee amounts despite the ongoing legal proceedings.
