Govt asked to consider fee waiver for SOEL students

When the plea moved by 90 students of SOEL came up for hearing before him, Justice N Anand Venkatesh directed the government to consider the students’ representation seeking fee waiver under heads that they have not been utilising, and give a solution by way of passing an order. The order can thereafter be placed before the Syndicate within two weeks.

By adopting this process, the interest of all stakeholders could be ascertained and the court could pass a final order on the writ petition, noted the judge, directing the students to pay the first instalment of tuition fees and AIR Cafe Fes as fixed in the circular dated August 29, on or before October 12. The plea has been posted to November 3 for further hearing.

While they were ready to pay the tuition fees, the students had challenged the fee structure that included payment for internet, library, AIR cafe, infrastructure, class amenities, sports, moot court, admission application, NSS and Youth Red Cross, all of which have been non-functional owing to COVID-19 pandemic. They claimed that charging fees under such heads was arbitrary, unreasonable and illegal as the SOEL campus has remained closed since March 25 in compliance with the orders passed by the State government amid the pandemic. They also pointed out that the college has only been conducting online classes and hence the valuation for fee payment was arrived despite uncertainty in reopening of physical classes.