Kerala: Self Financing Medical Colleges permitted to charge Rs 11 lakh fee

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has granted a temporary permit for the private medical college managements to proceed with admissions with a maximum fee of Rs. 11 lakhs per seat. This permit is valid till the Kerala HC’s final verdict on private medical college fees.

Students would be expected to pay Rs. 5 lakh as fees and the rest of the amount either as fees itself or as bank guarantee. Nevertheless, this amount will have to be maintained in a separate account by the managements reports Kamudi Online.

The SC’s order is a response to the private medical college managements approaching the apex court against the Kerala HC’s interim order making Rs. 5 lakhs as the fees for the 85 per cent of the seats in private medical colleges.

Earlier, the Kerala High Court stayed the Commissioner of Entrance Examinations’(CEE) order directing students to pay an interest- free refundable deposit of Rs 11 lakh and a bank guarantee of Rs 44 lakh to secure admission to management quota seats in two self-financing medical colleges (SFMC)- MES Medical College, Perinthalmanna and Somervell Memorial CSI Medical College, Karakonam - which had reached a pact with the government.

The HC order came on a parent plea who challenged the CEE order.

The petitioner made a submission stating that “The Commissioner’s order directing students to deposit an interest- fee refundable deposit of Rs 11 lakh in addition to course fee and provide Bank Guarantee for an amount covering fee for the remaining four years was illegal,” reports the New Indian Express.