Madras HC wants panel to regulate fees of deemed varsities

Observing that a committee has not yet been constituted citing the Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court, the first bench comprising Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice Abdul Quddhose said, “The fee committee should be constituted within three weeks [from April 26] and the fee committee shall take a decision from the date of its constitution, which will abide by the result of the writ petition.” 

The matter relates to an order passed by the bench headed by the Chief Justice on June 16, 2017, which directed the UGC and MHRD to constitute a committee to regulate the fee. Following this, deemed universities filed an SLP in the Supreme Court against the High Court direction. However, this was dismissed, and the issue was reverted to the High Court. 

“There appears to have been mis-statement at the time of hearing to the effect that the judgement and order on June 16, 2017, was a final judgement and order, as would be evident from the cause title of the order of the Supreme Court dated April 16, 2018, dismissing the SLP and requesting the High Court to decide the matter within a period of six months,” the first bench held in the present order. 

“The Supreme Court also gave liberty to the committee to submit its report to this court in accordance with law,” the bench added. Realising that its direction remains unimplemented even after 10 months, the bench has once again directed the formation of the committee to decide the fee. 

Incidentally, the bench has impleaded the Director General, Directorate General of Health Services in the case. The direction is based on a public interest litigation filed by advocate VBR Menon accusing deemed universities of charging Rs 40 lakh to Rs 50 lakh from students selected through common counselling in the state quota, who are liable to pay just Rs 5.5 lakh.