Newindpress

Chennai, Aug 3: The Madras High Court on Thursday directed three private medical colleges to refund excess fees collected from students.

The colleges - Chettinad Hospital and Research Institute (CHRI), Kancheepuram, PSG Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Coimbatore and, Sri Mookambikai Institute of Medical Sciences (MIMC) - must adhere to the fees fixed by the Justice Raman Fee Committee.

Tha annual tuition fee MBBS courses fixed by the committee is Rs 3 lakh, Rs 2.25 lakh and Rs 2.30 lakh for Chettinad Institute, PSG and Mookambikai Institute respectively.

The CHRI and PSG college had earlier obtained a court stay against implementing the Fee Committee’s order and sought to increase the fee to Rs 4.05 lakh a year. The Mookambikai Insitute had not yet obtained the Medical Council of India’s approval for 2007-08.

However, on an appeal from the State Government, the First Bench headed by Chief Justice A P Shah has held that „the institutions can’t be permitted to charge fees at their discretion taking advantage of the stay order of the court.”

Nonetheless, the Bench directed the students to give an undertaking that in the event of the Committee/Court increasing the fee they will pay the difference amount. Likewise, the colleges shall adjust excess fee towards the fee to be remitted for subsequent years or refund it.

The Students Federation of India (SFI) had prayed that the fee structure should be revised at Rs 1.30 lakh per year as decided by the Raman Committee in 2004.

Vacating the impugned stay order, the Bench posted the further hearing of the case to September 17.