Kerala: Private Medical Colleges given HC admission approval at Rs 5 lakh provisional fee

Kochi: All Admissions to MBBS seats in self-financing medical colleges are to be conducted at a provisional fee of Rs. 5 lakh as fixed by the Justice R. Rajendra Babu Committee stated a Kerala High Court order, this Wednesday.

The Court directive also states that admission seekers are to pay the fee in the form of a demand draft in the name of Commissioner for Entrance Examinations.

The Court has further instructed the state government to inform the students that the fee fixed is provisional and they will be liable to pay more in case a fee increase were to take place.

The Court has further ordered that the information be posted on the government’s website. It has also asked the managements to obtain bank guarantees from students for excess amounts.

The Court has made it amply clear that the self financing colleges who have signed an agreement with the government are to collect only Rs 5 lakh, fixed by the committee, during the admission process.

The court has also imposed restrictions on the state government regarding signing of any more agreements with any other self financing medical colleges.

MES Medical College, Perinthalmanna; Pariyaram Medical College, and Sam Somervell CSI Medical College, Karakkonam, had earlier signed an agreement with the government for continuing with the previous year’s fee. Fee for the Pariayaram college was Rs.10 lakh, while fee charged by the MES and CSI colleges came upto Rs.11 lakhs.

The interim order issued by the Bench was based on a writ petition filed by KMCT, Palakkad, and Karuna Medical Colleges against the provisional fee stipulated by the Committee and a petition filed by a few aspirants, challenging the agreement signed by the colleges with the government.

The Court’s interim order was passed keeping in view that admissions had to be completed by September 10. The petitions are to come up for a final hearing final hearing on August 21.

The provisional fee fixed by Justice Rajendra Babu Committee for 85% of the MBBS seats in private self-financing medical colleges was Rs 5 lakh and Rs 20 Lakh was decided upon for the NRI seats.

While fixing the fee for 85% of the MBBS seats at Rs 5 lakh, a Rs 50,000 reduction was made by the Committee from the earlier fee fixture. However, a decision was taken to increase the NRI fee from Rs. 15 lakh to Rs. 20 lakh by the Committee.

The Committee had also fixed the fee for BDS seats in general merit at Rs. 2.90 lakh while retaining the NRI seats costs at Rs. 6 lakh reports The Hindu.