The Madras High Court has ordered notice to the State government on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition seeking to fix the tuition fee for various medical courses offered by deemed universities in the State.
The First Bench of Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice M. Sundar admitted the petition filed by Jawaharlal Shanmugam. The petitioner prayed the court to pass an interim order restraining the authorities from conducting any procedures for admission to such courses offered by the deemed universities till final disposal of the PIL.
The petitioner submitted that tuition fee fixed by the deemed universities is not correlated to the actual income/earning of the medical college and its teaching hospital. “The huge profit making teaching hospital is not taken into account while calculating the fee. Only the expenses incurred by the university and the hospital are considered. Giving posh and sophisticated atmosphere inside the campus cannot be the criteria to fix exorbitant fee,” he added.
Claiming that fee fixed by the deemed universities which are above ₹10 lakh on an average, is beyond the reach of any common meritorious student, the petitioner wanted the court to direct the Chairman of the Committee for Fee Fixation, Department of Health & Family Welfare to immediately fix the tuition fee for medical courses in deemed universities.
Admitting the plea, the Bench impleaded all the deemed universities in the State as a party respondent to the PIL and ordered notice returnable by July 17.
