DO NOT collect more than 10 lakh fee for PG courses: Puducherry Medical College told

PUDUCHERRY: Notices have been issued by the government to the Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute (MGMC & RI), Aarupadai Veedu Medical College and Hospital, and Vinayaga Mission’s Medical College and Hospital, institutions affiliated to the deemed universities of the union territory. The government dictum has asked the three not to impose a fee higher than 10 lakh on PG students. If found doing otherwise, legal action will be taken by the state the notices added

Deputy Secretary, (Health), R Chandrasekaran has sought that the colleges comply to the Supreme Court directive to collect only Rs 10 lakh as annual fees from the students for the academic year 2017-18 and 2018-19 until the Madras high court takes a decision otherwise.

He cautioned that violations by the colleges will be treated as ‘wilful’ and the government and other appropriate authorities authorities would initiate legal action against them.

The government has declined to accept the argument put forth by the MGMCRI that the fees of Rs 10 lakh per annum fixed by the Madras HC will be applicable only to the students admitted to colleges between June 16 and 19 last year and for the academic year 2017-18 only.

Chandrasekaran noted that out the Supreme Court had earlier declared that fees fixed by the Madras HC ‘will hold good’ till the high court takes a decision on the matter. The High Court, he further added did not order that only students admitted between June 16 and 19 last year would be entitled to the interim fee benefits.

The High Court had also declared that the students who had already taken admission by paying fees more than Rs 10 lakh would be entitled to refund/adjustment of the differences in fees if so decided.

“So it is clear that all the students whether under government quota or management quota who had already been admitted to the PG courses in the deemed to be universities are eligible/bound to pay only Rs 10 lakh during this academic year also,” he told the TOI.