The Supreme Court upheld the Andhra Pradesh High Court's order today and quashed the state government's decision to enhance the tuition fee in medical colleges to Rs 24 lakh per annum. The court's observation came while dismissing a plea filed by a college against the Andhra Pradesh High Court's order which set aside the state government's decision to enhance the tuition fee of MBBS students. The decision was taken by a bench comprising Justices M R Shah and Sudhanshu Dhulia.
A cost of Rs 5 lakh was also imposed on the petitioner, the Narayana Medical College which filed the plea, and the Andhra Pradesh Govt. The amount had to be deposited with the court registry within six weeks. "To enhance the fee to Rs 24 lakh per annum i.e., seven times more than the fee fixed earlier was not justifiable at all. Education is not the business to earn profit. The tuition fee shall always be affordable," the bench said.
Considering the provisions of the Andhra Pradesh Admission and Fee Regulatory Committee (for Professional Courses offered in Private Un-Aided Professional Institutions) Rules, 2006, the high court held that the tuition fee of MBBS students could not be increased without the recommendations of the committee.
The court also said that several factors such as the location of the college, the nature of the course, and the cost of available infrastructure had to be considered.
(With inputs from PTI)
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